Most of the time I feel pretty normal. In my home, homeschooling, doing yoga, cooking and baking all of our food from scratch and living a vegan lifestyle seems normal. Then there are those awkward times when we go somewhere or people come over and I realize that we really are different. When we go to town and people ask why Autumn isn’t in school that particular day or when we go anywhere that food is served and we don’t eat with people. When I go to the girls dance recital and I am the only woman with not a drop of make-up on my face. When people talk about a new T.V show or commercial, toy or celebrity and I and my family have no clue what they are talking about. In these moments I realize that I am different and the life that I and my family live is not what most people would consider normal.

Normal –

I was thinking about this last night and came up with a list of all the things we don’t do and a second list of what I/we do that makes us misfits in this society.

Things I/we don’t do –

• eat animals
• watch T.V.
• I don’t have a ‘real’ job, I stay at home and raise my kids
• buy stuff we don’t need
• buy many things that come in packages (juice, cookies, cereal etc.) especially non-recyclable packaging
• use a microwave
• usually have sugar in the house or put it in our bodies
• put medication or other drugs in our bodies, unless necessary
• drive everywhere we need to go, even to get groceries
• follow the news (hubby does occasionally) News just depresses me and I choose to focus on the positive rather than the negative and changing myself before attempting to change the world
• read magazines or newspapers
• have showers (we only have old fashioned tubs, so we bathe) My kids are scared to death of showers.
• wear make-up (maybe a few times a year)
• identify myself with my body or the physical me
• get together with people too often, we usually just do stuff together as a family at home for free
• get dressed up or buy new clothes just because
• I don’t brush my hair or my kids hair every day
• dye my/our hair, bleach my/our teeth or wear perfume/cologne
• identify with any one religion, go to church or shove our beliefs down our kids throats
• make our kids deal with adult issues/force them to grow up too fast by seeing/reading/hearing things that they are simply not ready for
• obsess about outward appearances/put on a front/worry about what other people think
• have a cell phone, facebook account or twitter
• own a home

Things I/we do –

• breastfeed
• share sleep with my babies
• use cloth diapers
• use natural laundry detergent, dish soap, shampoo and soap
• try and get outside every day
• exercise at least an hour every day
• yoga at least 3 times a week
• shoulder stands
• go for walks all together (daily in the summer)
• juice
• eat a plant-based diet
• drink only water and a lot of water (I am never without my stainless steel water bottle)
• poop regularly (apparently this is abnormal)
• cook all my meals and bake my own cookies and other treats
• heat food in a pot on the stove top (so old-fashioned)
• eat oatmeal made stove top for breakfast nearly every day with fresh fruit
• homeschool/unschool
• pick our noses (not each others noses though)
• read books for pleasure
• dance around the house and be silly (often)
• make love, not have sex
• buy second hand or seek out used items before buying new unless it is a necessity
• be content with what we have
• watch our thoughts instead of just doing everything they say/ meditate/breathe
• provide a safe and loving environment for our kids that allows them to be kids and do kid things/learn and have fun – even if it makes big messes and is loud or annoying
• use our imaginations/be creative and crafty

I am sure that there are more things that I just can’t think of right now.

I used to think that not fitting in was bad or wrong. It sure does feel awkward when you realize that you are not normal but it is not necessarily a bad thing. I have learned to follow my intuition, think for myself and do what I know in my heart to be right. I want my life to reflect my values and who I really am. I don’t feel happy when I am just trying to be like everybody else. Maybe it works for most people, but for me and my hubby, it just doesn’t. We would rather be ourselves and raise our kids being our abnormal selves, then pretending to be something we aren’t, living a lie and being completely miserable because of it.

So being different is OK. Being yourself is what is truly important and what will bring you happiness. Only you know what is right for you and your family. Listen to that voice inside that is your true self and follow it. Do what feels right to you. When you let yourself be you, you let your light shine in this world, which unconsciously gives others permission to be themselves and shine their light too. I know that sounds cheesy, but it is true! If you take a look around, it is apparent that we could use a whole hell of a lot more light these days.

Normal is just normal. Normal is conformity, the usual, expected, average, typical and ordinary. Abnormal may not be conformity or any of those other things, but who ever decided non-conformity was a bad thing?

I will end with this picture I found on pinterest that I often make my desktop wallpaper.

Yours truly and abnormally,