Dear crazy and beautiful people, please don't be so hard on yourself.

We are all a little bit crazy. Some of us are more crazy than others, some of us are more openly or publicly crazy than others, some of us are crazy behind closed doors and some of us are so scared of being thought to be crazy that we hide who we are and present as cold, frozen and aloof.

OK, maybe some people are far from crazy, maybe they are well balanced and sane.Well,  Bully for them! (for those reading this who are under 70, 'good for them!').

For the rest of us, I wonder sometimes if we get so caught up worrying or thinking about how crazy we can be seen to be, that these very thoughts get in the way of everything else. I have come to the personal conclusion to stop worrying because everyone else is as crazy as me and if they aren't, then maybe they are hiding it, ashamed of it, waiting for the right moment to give me a lovely surprise with a sudden display of it, or maybe they aren't blessed with a touch of craziness and are just plain BORING. Crazy is as crazy does and if you can't be a little hysterical, unpredictable and able to think outside that bloody square, then how humdrum and predictable a life we would live?

Craziness needs to be loved, to be nurtured,  to be encouraged, to be celebrated and to be held up high for all to aspire to. Yes, for it is a beacon of light in the grey of the mundane and monotonous! If it wasn't for a little craziness, how would the great achievements in human history have occurred?  You just need to look at a photo of good old Albert Einstein and his wacky hair to know that he is a little bit crazy. Van Gogh's beautiful artwork is another case in point, who would have thought to try such a different way of painting? Only a crazy person!

Don't get confused, I am not suggesting we all go on holiday to a sanitarium, wear straight jackets or start taking anti-psychotic medication. I am not talking about mental health issue type crazy here, but the kind of craziness that allows you to function in the greater world, whilst still allowing you to be and do as you want or feel, to be a little left of centre and importantly, be true to your magnificent crazy self! Don't get me wrong, I am not for a second implying that non-crazy people aren't being true to themselves, they are, it is just.. that they are so.... well, you know... predictable and... dare I use the 'b' word?

Sure, for us crazy people, it's not all sunshine, rainbows and lollypops (with apologies to Lesley Gore), for some, being a little crazy means over-reacting to things, exaggerating everything and sometimes flailing your arms about as you do it. Sometimes this isn't conducive to ongoing and long lasting relationships... sometimes our crazy behaviour can get in the way of what we want in life. The glass half full people amongst us, see these moments  as opportunities to moderate and adapt our craziness to help us achieve what we want in life. In other words, change for the better. Yep, talk about seeing the silver lining! The 'glass half full' crazy people talk about owning your crazy, rather than letting it own and control you.. Deep stuff!

So, my dear fellow crazy and beautiful people, be your crazy yourselves and do it with head held high. Life is never perfect, so the next time you are a little crazier than you might like to be, don't be too hard on yourself, be a glass half full type and see it as an opportunity to learn from. An opportunity to try and do things differently next time and to own your crazy rather than letting it own you. Most importantly, what ever you do dear crazy person, never hide your crazy, never deny it and most of all, never ever get rid of all of your craziness, because without it,  you are not you. And you are beautiful just as you are.