Why do we feel the need to keep up with the Joneses?
You know Mrs. Jones. The PTA Queen, the philanthropy addict, the chairman of every board that is available. The star employee. You know who I’m talking about! The one you wish you could be like. The one we all wish we could be like. And don’t lie – you know your a bit jealous. Because Mrs. Jones makes life look easy. And you don’t.
I think Mrs. Jones is amazing. I admire her. Because of the Mrs. Jones’s of the world, we have healthcare and McDonald’s and organized organizations. Maybe she has it all figured out. Of course, I’m not sure I even know what it is.
And that’s okay…
I know that I am different, not normal maybe even a bit weird. And that’s okay too.. I have learned to see me for me. The eccentric, nonconforming, unconventional being. The one who sees the world a bit differently. The one who can’t work a 9 to 5 job because it literally makes me crazy (I’ve had two near nervous breakdowns). The one who can’t be around a lot of drama because once again it literally makes me crazy, therefore I choose to work largely on my own and isolate myself a bit. And the one that knows that no matter how hard I wish and try, I will never be “normal”.
And this is a blessing. Why might you ask? Because if we were all normal and able to organize the school bake sales, we wouldn’t have Michelangelo, Sylvia Plath, Carrie Fisher or Virginia Woolf. We wouldn’t have the beauty to decorate the building that was designed by the “normal” architect or the song to play on the radio designed by the “normal” designer.
So before, you condemn yourself for not being able to perfectly clean your house, make the playdates or even hold down a “regular job”, remember, you just might be the decoration in a world of normal. Of course, we might not all become Michelangelo’s or Virginia Woolf’s but we might just inspire the next one by embracing our own inner Sylvia Plath.
I Am... Magazine 