What is Normal?

I know people have been saying it for years, but I am suddenly noticing all the pleas. You know the ones I am talking about. I’m quite sure you’ve seen them, too. I am talking about the people who say something like, “Let’s normalize that…” where that is something near to the heart and personal, but also something the person thinks no one else understands or values. Something like homemaking, learning a trade, or having a messy house.

There are a billion “normalize” memes on the interwebs. Okay, I may be a bit dramatic, but the point is, you can literally say, Let’s normalize eating French fries every single day, and you will get support from all the French fry lovers in the world. But do you really need their support? I mean, if you want to eat French fries every single day and I don’t, isn’t that okay? We don’t need to agree that eating them is good, bad, or normal, do we?

Please hear me when I tell you I do understand some of the reasoning behind normalizing things. We all have a desire to belong; to have a seat at the table. But is begging everyone to agree with your love of French fries going to satisfy your inner desire to be known as a French fry lover? The strangers on the internet who validate your need to eat French fries don’t really see you. In fact, their attempt to help you normalize your habits may hurt you, and others, in the long run.

Now, I am all for a greasy batch of fries dipped in some Chickfila sauce, or even better, a frosty, but I also know how I feel after eating them. I am not a health expert, but I suspect there would be some long-term issues associated with eating this way daily. My point is simply to say this: Normalizing something may seem like a good idea, but it also may carry unintentional consequences.

There is no such thing as a universal normal. Normal is subjective. What is normal to you may be completely foreign to me - and that is okay. We can’t all have clean houses, amazing kids, or perfect pets. Have you met Mr. Rawlings?

Listen, I am kind of lazy sometimes (a lot of times). I like chocolate. I like lifting weights. I am a rule breaker. I love to read and write. I hate math. I am not athletic. I don’t like animals. I can’t cook. I don’t have a green thumb. I like simple and calm and organized. These are the good and bad things that make me…me. Even in all my flaws, I have no desire to “normalize” the inability to keep a plant alive, the desire to read and take a nap everyday, or the need to remove the smoke detector from the wall when cooking. I don’t know. Call me crazy, but, instead of normalizing our weaknesses, wouldn’t it be better to learn to value the way God created us?

Whether you are a size six or a size sixteen…
Whether you are a good cook or always order out…
Whether you are an athlete, a creative genius, a brilliant artist, or just an average Joe…

Celebrate who you are - even the challenging things that make you question if you’re normal. You are normal. You are also beautiful, and smart, and talented. You are exactly who God made you to be. If you need to normalize anything, normalize that.

What are the things that make you…you?

D 😊