Normal: Creating Definition or Defining Creativity

"Normal is an illusion. What is normal for the spider is chaos for the fly." --Charles Addams

What is normal? As humans, we found infinite answers to the question of normal. The word, in itself, uses comparison to create a definition. Yet, one of the best parts about normal is the relativity. One person's normal is not the same as his neighbor. We also can delve into necessity at this point. One of my favorite bumper stickers as a kid was "Why Be Normal?" It spoke to a young weirdo on so many levels. Again, we come back to comparison. Sometimes we see the lives of others as normal and equate it with happiness, comfort, excitement, etc. But, nine times out of ten, that person does not feel normal in their own life.

My point today is not to find a definition for normal, one that encompasses all our lifestyles and loves. The list would be as long as the number of humans on this earth (and in space). More than anything, this is a post to catch up the reader about my life and the life of Storied Kits. Some days, I feel like the fly--trying to get free of this mess. Other days, I realize I am the spider--watching as others struggle. I don't see a problem with being the spider....unless you are also an empath. I am.

I am really good at taking on the emotions of other people and making them my own. So, while I may be doing just fine and living my "normal", I never feel at peace because somebody else in my life is definitely not living their "normal". 

The Summer of '19 was a rough one. At one point, I had three jobs. I recently read a meme that said we should only work the number of hours we slept the night before. Yeah. My schedule was off just a little according to that philosophy. I already don't sleep the "normal" amount of hours. Yet, I find comfort? joy? excitement? satisfaction? in a busy schedule. It's one of my normals. I was raised in a hardworking family. I will sleep when I am dead.

In a perfect word, I would be able to have multiple jobs without issue. I could do my work, play with the dog and get my regular amount of sleep with ease. Apparently, this perfect world does not include other people...or at least includes other people that share my normal. Instead, I live in a world with, let's face it, drama. Everyone has a different normal and emotions fly around like little cartoon ghosts. An empath can get lost in the webs of spiders and struggle to get back to their own normal.

On one hand, yes, having multiple jobs is taxing. I am grateful to be on the single-job train for the time being. However, I don't think the jobs themselves made me "fall apart" (as one boss said). It was working with and around people with different versions of ethics and compassion and common sense. They all had normal standards they were trying to meet, but the struggle was real. I got caught in a web trying to smooth things over by using my own normal blueprint. Don't try this at home, kids. You will only create more drama. 

I know my path as a human being is to create space for others to feel that they belong, that their emotions are valid. I love to listen. I enjoy providing tools and resources to help others find meaning and..."normality". However, by day, I am a kitchen manager on a busy mountain. Some days, I have to put aside my need to guide others on an emotional level and reprimand them for not doing their job. Having extra jobs made compartmentalizing and prioritizing difficult. 

Today, I am relaxing and cleaning my house. I am trying to find my normal again. Part of my normal includes running around a restaurant trying to put out fires and keeping us afloat. Part of my normal includes knitting and writing and reading and enjoying my quiet house. I haven't been able to live a completely normal life because I filled my time with other people's versions of normal. You can't be everything to everyone.

But you can be yourself. You can exist. That is all the universe asks of you. Exist. In the meantime, you can also find ways to make existence meaningful. What is meaningful? What is normal? It doesn't matter how I answer. My answer is not the right answer for anyone else but me.

I knit. I write. I like sushi and beets and sweet spices. My dog is named for a cartoon character and my favorite musician. My normal includes words like autumn and music and random and witch and goonie and knife and melt and yarn and candles and spoodle and notebooks and flour and rebel and family and magic. Oh how I love the word magic.

Storied Knits was quiet for a while. I focused on other parts of my normal. I am happy to be back in business. Drop me a line about knitting or normal or creations you would like to see in Storied Knits. This business is about making extra income for myself (and my dog...because treats cost money). It's also about finding community by melding our versions of normal. And magic. It's most definitely about creating meaningful magic.