43 Comments
User's avatar
Claudio Buccola's avatar

Thank you Deano, you write exactly what I need at 48😉. And yes please continue to write, because it s helping a lot! And happy Birthday!

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Thank you, Claudio. Appreciate that.

Ania Jaworska's avatar

All the best, Deano.

True awkwardness and unpolished weirdos... hurrah!

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Haha, thanks, Ania. We’re all just the same underneath it all, just with different situations attached to us.

The Strategic Linguist's avatar

You and I would have been the worst students ever if we'd been at school together.

The Strategic Linguist's avatar

I am such a bad student 🙈 I’d be in the back hoping that the teacher never looked my way

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Haha, backrow buddies!

Eva from Evas' Destinations's avatar

Happy Birthday to you metalhead. I love your being so direct, so true. If you haven't noticed, THIS IS the right way to connect with people. Your approach shows that you know yourself well. And what you want out of life. This is not the case for most people. Keep writing, keep helping people. Thank you!

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Eva, thank you so much for your kind words. You just made my year!

Eva from Evas' Destinations's avatar

Lol

Paris Thomas's avatar

Damn. No words man. I know the stories. Still got chills of respect when I read this. Don't stop writing. Or aging.

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Thanks, dude. Aging? Kind of hard to do!

Eloiza's avatar

...oh man..! I am sorry for all the shit you went through.

You are one big heart, and so cool and awesome. and so fuckin brave that is a breath of fresh air!

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Loui!!! Not brave, not complaining. Just things that made me who I am. How the hell are you?

Dee Lau's avatar

Happy belated birthday. Ageing like a fine wine 😁🍷

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Thank you, Dee. More liked boxed wine!

Lane's avatar

Happy birthday, Deano! Thanks for this and for your kind words to me a few weeks ago.

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Thank you, Lane. Seriously, I didn’t do anything. Just gave a little push.

Sven Brodmerkel (PhD)'s avatar

Congratulations, Deano! 🎊🎉🎂

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Hey, thanks, Sven.

Sven Brodmerkel (PhD)'s avatar

Hi Deano,

It’s so funny who similar and at the same time different our backgrounds/experiences are … there’s even a Slayer T-shirt in my history (which sparked a concerned conversation with my sports teacher). I should note that I only liked Slayer for the aesthetics, not for the music …

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Haha, those Slayer t-shirts. I like the band but not all their music. Always been a Megadeth (early stuff) kind of guy.

Sven Brodmerkel (PhD)'s avatar

👍

Having listened to them for ages, but I’m currently enjoying Sabbat’s ‘Dreamweaver’ (album) – one of the few respectable English thrash bands from the late 80s. You might like them …

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Love Sabbat. The vocalist is Martin Walkyer from Skyclad, one of my favourites.

Sven Brodmerkel (PhD)'s avatar

I saw them live just after they had released the first album. They were opening for Udo (Dirkschneider, the former vocalist of Accept), which wasn’t a great match, to say the least. But it worked for me …

Nina Perry's avatar

Happy birthday and I loved reading your story. Thanks for sharing and for writing.

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Appreciate, Nina. Thank you so much.

Alexander Davidian's avatar

Brave to be so raw. You are already helping people, holding up a mirror to their unexpressed pain, and urging them to reclaim selves buried out of conditioning and fear. Happy belated.

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Thanks, Al. Appreciate your kind words, man.

The Practical Strategist's avatar

A lot of this felt like looking in a mirror. I just want to say thank you for sharing this in such a relatable, raw, and unfiltered way. And your message is spot on. Being an outlier is hard, like down deep hard. But if you can navigate the waters of social expectations with your integrity intact, it can also be amazing.

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Thanks, Michael. Being an outlier is cooler than being part of the normal distribution. Harder? Sure. But more fun if you rid yourself of any guilt trips of not fitting in. Thanks for your words, man.

Kelly Courtez's avatar

Ok, so reading this, I couldn't stop because stream of consciousness is my literary foreplay, but I didn't imagine it would end up where it did. A nice touch. Thanks. And happy birthday! Birthday celebrations are a societal construct borne from marketing and consumerism anyway

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Thank you, Kelly. To be honest, I didn’t know it was going to end up where it did. I just started writing until there was no more to write!

Kelly Courtez's avatar

Those are the most fun times from writing

Elizabeth Wilkins-McKee, LCSW's avatar

Happy Birthday! I love this part of aging. The "here I am in all my glory" - take it or leave it.

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Thanks, Elizabeth. Aging is fun!

Elizabeth Wilkins-McKee, LCSW's avatar

It is so much better than the other option.

Paul Koronis's avatar

Happy birthday!

Thanks for this raw, true and super narrative.

Deano Symeonides's avatar

Thank you, Paul. Laid myself bare but fuck it right?