The story fever takes over me as it usually does, and my entire being belongs to it for however long it lasts. It’s hard to do anything else but read. This time, it was the Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld. 

Written for young adults in a time when I was also a young adult (age giveaway!), the Uglies trilogy starts with an almost 16-year-old Tally Youngblood who has been told all her life that she is ugly. 

She’s just a few months away from undergoing the surgery that everyone goes through at 16. A few months away from being pretty. 

But adventures ensue and she discovers that being pretty isn’t all that utopian. 

Although I’m no longer a young adult (as defined by book publishers), I still identify with the awkwardness that comes with being a teenager. I’m still learning how to be. 

There are days when I can’t wait to be older. There are days when I think age makes you indifferent to your place in the world. 

I wonder if being comfortable in your own skin is something automatic. Or is it something you have to foster? 

Or is it something you’re already born with? And if so, does that mean I’ll always be awkward?