What Is “Normal” Anyway?

I’ve heard a lot of talk lately about how people are looking forward to getting “back to normal” these days.

nor·mal /ˈnôrməl/
noun

1. 1.the usual, average.

I get it, things have been unpredictable to say the least for quite awhile now.

But to be honest, I’ve never been much of a fan of normal.

Now don’t get me wrong, I love the routines I have in my own schedule which I suppose someone could argue is my “normal” way of moving through my days and weeks. But I also leave room for spontaneity, innovation, and straight-up pivoting, lol!

And I’ve also been an out-of-the-box creative thinking kind of person for as long as I can remember, so the “usual” is a often a nice idea to bounce things off of and see where they go in my experience.

But the way I hear people talking about getting back to normal is something different. They are weary from all the changes and unexpected turns of events. Of not really knowing what the next week will look like, let alone the next day. They want to be able to take a breath and, hopefully, not worry for awhile.

And that is 100% understandable. I’ve been feeling it too.

Yet I’m also very wary of “getting back to normal” for a wide variety of reasons.

I don’t know that the normal that people are referring too right now was actually serving us very well.

I feel like a lot of us had fallen into (or fallen prey to) a lot of harmful habits in the not too distant past. In our relationships, in our work habits, in our health… in all areas of our lives. And I know that for many, those were amplified over the past two years which might have triggered the start of a massive personal crisis or may have been brought to full awareness of someone and then worked on and/or replaced with something healthier.

Personally I’ve had masses of those revelations since 2020. They brought pain, confusion, grief, and many questions when they came to light for sure, but they also brought creativity, acceptance, innovation, and relief because I knew I could make some changes that would ultimately be better for me and my family.

It has been an exhausting time for so many, but I am not one for blindly going back to normal as it was in the before-times.

Now don’t worry, I’m not planning on turning my back on everything that was part of my usual daily life, that would be silliness, but I am planning on creating a new and beautiful way to move forward. I’ve spent the last couple of years getting super clear on what I really want (and what I really do not want) in my life and now is definitely the time to set those boundaries and make the changes that will support a life I truly love.

How about you?

“The times they are a-changin…” ~ Bob Dylan

Always from the heart,

Jennifer Greenwood
Owner, Breeze Wellness
Founder, The Real Life Reset System