Planting The Seed - What is normal?
She took the picture, and as she walked away, she said, “That is exactly what I needed to see today. Sometimes I forget.”
I was out and about walking one evening last week, carrying one of my favourite bags.
The bag is from ‘The School of Life’ and says in big letters, ’ No one is normal.’
A woman approached me and said, ‘I love your bag.’ She asked me if she could take a picture of the bag, to which I replied, “Of course.”
She took the picture, and as she walked away, she said, “That is exactly what I needed to see today. Sometimes I forget.”
I wish I had asked her if she wanted a hug, but she was gone.
In case you need to hear this today.
NO ONE IS NORMAL. Not even you.
We are given so many soul-destroying messages about what is normal and what we should do to be as normal as possible.
Here are the things that are ‘not normal’ about me (which make me completely normal)
I must hug my family deeply if they are going away, just in case…
I don’t like talking as soon as I wake up.
I don’t like my food to be all mixed up on a plate
I travel with a hot water bottle even when the weather is warm
I dance in public with my eyes closed
I know all the lyrics to three top musicals
I have difficult people in my life.
I am the difficult person in the life of at least one other person.
I am very skilled at some things.
I am terrible at other things.
I am sensitive to noise and actively seek out quiet cafes and restaurants
I can listen to the same song or album on repeat for days and days.
I cannot pull the plug out of a sink if the water is dirty and I have not washed the dishes. Who knows what is in there?
Beware the idea of normal.
Normal when it comes to numbers and measurements can be very useful. It is helpful in reference to medical results or something similar.
But using normal as a yardstick to judge ourselves, our children, our family, or humanity, sets us up to have expectations and make judgements about others, which does not support compassionate understanding.
I recently listened to an episode of The Imperfects with the comedian Fern Brady; it was heartbreaking and eye-opening to hear how she, as an autistic person, has tried to be ‘normal’ and how that impacts her as she navigates the world.
None of us are normal. And normal is a tiny box in which to live.
I do not want my gravestone to read, ‘She was normal.’ I’m aiming for ‘She was 100% fully expressed.”
So, if you want to spend time with a group of not-normal, normal women practising how to ask for what they want and stepping into full self-expression, join me as I facilitate The Gift of Asking Live Program, one last time.
The Gift of Asking Live Program - Starting on June 17th
Early bird: $1499 (with payment plan option)
Full Price: $2499
The Gift Of Asking Challenge
Join me Live on Instagram - Starting Wednesday, 29
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Sometimes, our boundaries are to keep things out; sometimes, they are to protect what is within, and sometimes, we need boundaries to protect what we are building.
Some things need boundaries in which to grow.
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