Normal is a word that I've always struggled to grapple on to. 'Normal' size font, says Blogspot as I type. Heart rate, normal. Normal solution, said my chemistry textbooks. Math said a normal line is a right angle- right being ninety degrees but right also meaning true, correct, and what should be, right?
I think most of us are guilty of trying to be normal and falling in the category of people who do what's expected of them. I know I'm guilty of trying that- trying and failing miserably but trying nonetheless. What is normal, though, and why is there so much pressure to be normal? Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken was probably one of the most read poems growing up, part of the content of almost every English textbook. I remember loving and appreciating that poem. I was so sure that the poem was written for me and that I would never conform to the crazy workings of the world. And here I am today, quite caught between what society expects of me and what I really want to do with my life. I want to say that despite the conflicts and confusion, I've got everything sorted, but I would be lying to myself. I can say that it's a good life, and perhaps the uncertainty makes it all the more interesting. But getting things sorted will make life a little more richer.
For now, I'm learning how to embrace the confusion- because we're all a little crazy anyway, right? It's normal, right? :D
I think most of us are guilty of trying to be normal and falling in the category of people who do what's expected of them. I know I'm guilty of trying that- trying and failing miserably but trying nonetheless. What is normal, though, and why is there so much pressure to be normal? Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken was probably one of the most read poems growing up, part of the content of almost every English textbook. I remember loving and appreciating that poem. I was so sure that the poem was written for me and that I would never conform to the crazy workings of the world. And here I am today, quite caught between what society expects of me and what I really want to do with my life. I want to say that despite the conflicts and confusion, I've got everything sorted, but I would be lying to myself. I can say that it's a good life, and perhaps the uncertainty makes it all the more interesting. But getting things sorted will make life a little more richer.
For now, I'm learning how to embrace the confusion- because we're all a little crazy anyway, right? It's normal, right? :D
1 comment:
Browsing blogs and stumbled across yours. I had to comment when I saw the Robert Frost reference. He's one of my favorite poets, and I really like his "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening." I too find myself caught between what's "normal" and doing what I love. I'm a bit anti-society in that I don't want to live the life that's expected of me. But its hard living by ideals that don't align with the "normal." But you're right, what is "normal" anyway?
Post a Comment