I caught myself saying, ‘I just want to be normal.’ Then, just as the words left my mouth, I had a thought. Why do I want to be normal? What does it mean to be normal? One of my most memorable movie quotes is from the movie The Addams Family, originally from The Addams Family comic series by Charles Addams.
“Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly.”
Morticia Addams
“Normal” is just fitting in, doing the exact things, or being the same as others in a socially acceptable manner. When we don’t feel “normal,” we say we fall outside what is currently popular.
I was feeling bad about not fitting in. It was a weak moment when my mind tried to convince me that something about me was wrong and needed to change. The conditioning and programming I endured during my childhood tried to override my unique sensibility, but I am growing into myself gratefully. I could catch the thought and counter it with, ‘I don’t want to be normal; I want to be me.’
Back to the quote. Perception is everything. The spider weaves a web to catch its food. This is a typical means of hunting for a spider. If a fly gets caught in the web, it does not perceive the web as a great place to be. Instead, it senses the danger and fights for its life. We are meant to live as it fits our needs and desires. When we try to be “normal,” we cause chaos within us because we are not meant to fit in.
When we find ourselves in situations that feel forced or unnatural, it’s time to leave and find where we belong.
I hope you always find your place of belonging 🙂
Look Within 