Normal is Just a Setting on the Dryer, Pt. II

Didn't we spend most of our pre-adult lives trying to conform to certain ideals or specifications outlined by society? Didn't we want the most popular toy in kindergarten? Didn't we want to sit at the 'cool' lunch table in high school, or drive the nicest car or wear the trendiest clothes? That was what was normal, right?
 
I remember saving up my money in high school to buy a sweater from Abercrombie and Fitch, because that's what the popular kids were wearing. Whenever I wore that sweater, though, I was still me. I still had my same friends that accepted and loved me for me. I was still the girl that quit basketball to join the theater club. I was still the girl that stayed after school to work on art projects instead of hanging out with my significant other. 

So... did wearing that sweater make me normal? I wasn't treated differently, and I acted the same. Was I normal before, wearing the same old clothes I always did? The answer is... there is no answer!

I think I'm a pretty crazy person. The truth is, I don't think I've ever felt 'normal.' Then I realized that 'normal' doesn't really exist; it's just a figment of our imaginations. Who is going to tell me if I'm normal or not? Who has the right to make that judgment? What the hell makes a person 'normal' in the first place?

This vague word has so many definitions, I don't think it knows what it means. But I've typed up a few I found anyway that seem to follow a mainstream acceptance or understanding of the term:

normal (adj.)
1) conforming to the standard or the common type; usual; not abnormal; regular; natural

2) approximately average in any psychological trait, as intelligence, personality, or emotional adjustment
3) lack of significant deviation from the average

Those sound kind of, well, awful and terribly uninteresting. Who wants to be 'common,' 'regular,' 'average'? 

I also Googled the phrase, "What is a normal person?" I didn't come across a definition or description that I found appealing. In fact, I was kind of appalled to find actual guides explaning how to become a 'normal' person.

"The word normal typically is defined as a behavior conforming with or constituting a norm or standard or level or type or social norm. So by this definition a normal person would be considered an individual who conforms to societal norms and standards. So typically a society will decide if a person is normal by whether or not they follow the rules that that given society uses to determine what is appropriate and inappropriate values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors."

I wish I hadn't wasted so much time in my earlier years trying to fit into this sort of unattainable and unattractive ideal. Now, I want to be as far from normal as possible. I think I'm pretty unique, and I'm happy with the characteristics I have that set me apart from the rest of the crowd. It has taken me quite a while to actually feel at peace with myself, and once I felt that I had, I was so much happier not devoting my time trying to do what everyone else was doing.

The title of this entry follows suite with a posting written by my very dear (and terribly clever) friend, mentioned in previous entries and most likely to show up in future ones. What does it mean to lead a normal life anyway? I couldn't help but copy and paste what she has written:

"I think that the only way for us to move forward is to be reminded that this, right here, right now, is normal. What we're feeling is normal and how we behave is normal, because this is our life and this is how it is supposed to go."

We are all so different from one another that, unless all of us were living the exact same life, there is no way any one person could be normal. How boring would that be anyway? Who wants to just be ordinary?? So instead of spending the rest of my life trying to fit in, I think it'll be much easier to just be myself and stand out.