Being A Misfit

A few weeks ago I had to get fitted for a respirator for my new job.  At the doctor's office I had the following conversation with a nurse.

Nurse: What is your race?
Me: What are the options?
Nurse: African American, Mexican American, and Caucasian.
Me: .... None of those apply.
Nurse: So what is your race?
Me: I usually choose Latina or Hispanic. Is "other" an option?
Nurse: No.
Me: Can you leave it blank?
Nurse. No, it is required to continue with the test.

In the end, I let the nurse make a choice after I explained to her my background. I'm really not even sure which she chose since she looked at how her choice impacted the results of my baseline lung capacity test.  With only those three options, A LOT of people were excluded.  My background isn't even that complex, and I couldn't figure out what to choose.

Checking a box on a form seems like a simple thing, but not having a option to choose can make you feel like a misfit and out of step with the norm.  I have grown to embrace and really even love many of the things that make me a misfit.  However, in a season of trying to navigate lots of transition, I appreciate moments when things make sense and when I feel like I fit.  One of those moments was being reunited with many former teammates as we celebrated John and Jenn's marriage. We misfit together.  =)