More Than Normal
“No one is normal.”
That’s what people say. I guess it sounds better than, “It’s okay that you’re weird.”
Normalcy is something everyone wants to feel but no one can actually achieve. If anyone were normal, they’d be the weird one — because they wouldn’t be themselves.
Take it from someone who learned that the hard way.
The day I remember finally giving up the need to be normal was my sophomore year of high school.
My youth group hosted a Disney theme night every February. Everyone dressed as a favorite character, the leaders judged the costumes, and three lucky winners got awards. It was supposed to be fun. It usually was.
That year, I dressed as Groot from the “new” Guardians of the Galaxy. I had crocheted a Groot head, wore clothes that looked like tree bark, even pinned leaves to my arms and legs. Two of the judges came over, asked who I was, and told me they loved it. I ended up receiving one of the awards.
What I didn’t know was that they had reused the awards from the ugly Christmas sweater contest a few months earlier.
You’ll never guess where this is going.
Yes — I won “Ugliest.” Complete with a sash that said it in bold letters.
I laughed it off in the moment. A friend whispered that it was uncalled for. But I didn’t let myself react. I never did, not when people were watching.
I made it home before I collapsed on the couch — humiliated, hurt, and completely defeated. I couldn’t understand why any adult would hand that award to a teenager. I still don’t.
But here’s what I do know: that night was the beginning of the end of my obsession with normal. Not because I suddenly felt confident, but because something in me finally snapped. I decided I wouldn’t let other people’s definitions of normal dictate how I looked, acted, and felt.
I don’t hold a grudge. The leaders apologized — genuinely. They sat down with my mom and me, explained what happened, and owned it. And I appreciated that. We ended up moving a few months later, for reasons that had nothing to do with that night, but the apology mattered.
But even with the apology, something in me shifted.
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get.” ~ Forest Gump.
I think people are too. Sure, everyone has their favorite kind of chocolate. But if there were only one kind in the box, there wouldn’t be something for everybody. The box wouldn’t be complete without your Dark Chocolate Raspberry Creme or Milk Chocolate Maple Nut Butter.
We all know someone who thinks coconut has no place anywhere near chocolate (maybe you are that person - you probably don’t like pineapple on pizza either), but don’t be the reason someone feels unappreciated for who they are, and remember: “no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt.
If any part of my story pulls at you, I hope you’ll take a moment to ask yourself what “normal” has been costing you — and whether it’s worth it.
So yeah, no one is normal, and yes, it’s okay that you are weird. Weird is definitely something worth owning.
That’s all for now.
Talk soon,
Rae
