Anybody out there struggling
to be normal, please stop and question that…
Are we really here to
be someone else's idea of who they think we should be? To conform, be standard,
usual and typical as defined in the dictionary. To do what’s expected according
to them…whoever they are? Personally I don’t think so. I believe that we are
here to discover and create ourselves. And we do this by knowing,
understanding, loving, honouring and embracing who we are. I feel we are here
to connect to the very deepest parts of our-selves, others and the world around
us.
I do not say this
lightly and I have had many of my own struggles with “normal” in my life but I
am happy to say I choose to keep leaving them behind. I have shed many skins
burnt by the fires started by significant others. All layers put upon me in one
way or another. What is normal for a child who has learned that there is no-one
to trust, no sense of safety in their world? What is normal for a child who has
been abandoned by those they need the most when they most need them? What is
normal for a child who cannot open his or her mind to learning because day-to-day
life feels like a matter of survival and nobody is helping her with that?
I struggled for a long
time to know and care about me, to come to terms with a painful childhood and
childhood abuse well into my adult life. This affected me in many profound ways,
one of the most significant being that I had no idea who or how I could have
ever been had that never happened to me…and I will never know, that I let go of
a long time ago. Then I went within and found my out the other side.
I have discovered
this…One of the greatest joys in my life is a deep sense of connection in my heart
and spirit to all that I am because of all that I have been through. I have
learned to walk with myself in my darkest hours in a way that paves my path
forward with love and courage and lets the healing in. Sharing that journey and
experience with others not only sets me free but others also.
So I will continue to
live and share my truth, my story, I will continue to feel my feelings, think
my thoughts…The good, the bad and the ugly, the beautiful, brave and scary, I
will leave no parts of me behind for fear of being judged, I will not hide
pieces of me away because others do not understand. Instead I will continue to
embrace all of who I am, how I am and why I am…Me.
Choosing to live with
an open mind and an open heart and to acknowledge the things that make us
different, respect the diversity amongst us and the cherish the gifts of
humanity that come in all kinds of packages. I will honour every part of me and
encourage others to do the same, and I will never, ever be normal, no thankyou!
Melanie Lee
I have been pondering all these ideas and concepts and am delighted to have found someone who thinks like me and has the ability to articulate so well, what it is like to finally embrace oneself outside of what society projects you should be. Thank you Melanie.
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