I am (Partly) a Normal Person
Wednesday, September 04, 2013
“I was always fascinated by people who are considered completely normal, because I find them the weirdest of all.” -Johnny Depp
Ah, how I love to write! I took a bit of a break from my blog for a while, but I'm back now. I don't know exactly why I took a break. I mean, it's not like it was a planned break or anything. I just... didn't write.
Mostly, I couldn't decide what to write about. I don't want to complain all the time about how I'm feeling, and whenever I tried to type up a post, that was all I could think to write about. At some point, you're just tired of being sick. You want to get back to normal things, and you want to forget about it for a while.
And so, I didn't write.
But now I am! Because now, I have something to write about.
I often have people tell me that my blog posts hit right where it hurt most. Right in that spot of their life that they struggle with. They tell me how much they can relate to what I say, and for a long time I wondered why.
Not that that's a bad thing! I really like it when people tell me that they can relate. But how is it that people from such very different walks of life can all get something from the same piece of work? How can people who have so little in common still find something for them in my writing?
Part of it is, I think, in the nature of how we read and interpret things. Everyone brings a little of themselves with them when they read, and while they're not actively thinking about it at the time, they still filter everything through their own experiences and opinions. Everyone can get something different from it, because everyone is unique, and everyone has experienced different things. We can take what someone has written and put a new perspective on it that is as one-of-a-kind as the person reading.
(That was one thing I noticed when reading all of The Chronicles of Narnia. Every time I read it, I noticed something new. They always held something in their pages that I hadn't noticed last time, no matter how much I've read the series. And no matter how many people have read it, there's something in there for everyone. (The Bible is like that, too. Only... more.))
And I think that's one of the amazing things about how God made us.
Also, I think it has something to do with the fact that, underneath it all, I am (partly) normal. Oh, I know some people would be surprised to hear that. I'm sure there are a few friends of mine who think I'm pretty weird. (To be fair I think they're pretty weird, too.) And I believe that's true. The other day someone called me fascinating. I think that's true, too.
But I also believe that, underneath it all, I'm a bit normal. Because when you think about it, what is normal?
Sometimes you think of normal as average or everyday, but I don't think that could possibly be it. Everyone is so different from one another, that there really is no "everyday". Some people hide their differences more than others because they're afraid to be different, but everyone is unique, so really... what's the point?
Is normal what society tries to tell you is right? Because if so, I don't want to be normal at all. And I don't really consider myself "normal" in that definition. Society tells you that you need to wear tons of makeup, follow the latest trends, have a hot boyfriend, etc. And I don't want or have any of that.
But if normal means having basic needs that everyone feels, then sure. I'm normal. I want to feel needed and important. I want to be cared for. I want to have friends. I want to be a part of something bigger than myself. I want to love and be loved. I want to be noticed, and I want to be remembered.
So I guess, underneath, we all have a bit of normal. And I don't think that's a bad thing. It gives us all common ground. No matter how different we are, we have common denominators. Things we all understand and relate to. Things that give us a reason to try to like each other. Or, at least, to not hate each other. Because when you realize that someone struggles with the same things you do, and when you realize that you have the same needs, it makes it easier to put aside your differences. To forget about all of the things you don't have in common, and think about the things that you do share. It gives you a certain degree of... empathy. Not just sympathy, but empathy. The ability to share and understand the feelings of another.
So maybe- maybe- the world would be a better place if we remembered that we all have a bit of normal.
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