There are people in our life who think we’re too “out there.” With our organic, chemical free food. Our homeschooling. Our limited TV time. Our lack of the latest technological doo-dads. Our old cars. Our second generation smells like dog pink couch (gonna replace it one of these days, I swear). Our recycling. Our shopping at Whole Foods.
There are other people in our life who think we’re too “in there.” With Seth’s extensive Lego collection, (consumers, we are), our “tutors,” our spending money on summer camp and bouncy castles, our shopping at Whole Foods (what, you don’t grow all your own food)? Our using paper bags instead of bringing reusable ones each time, and letting the occasional recyclable container go because I’m too tired or lazy to clean it out.
It might be easier if we were hard core either way. Full throttle consumerism or full throttle counter-culture. Oh what I wouldn’t give to pick one and be right! I used to be a right person. I had my opinions and they were “right.” End of story.
But “right” is just an illusion.
What I really want is to be a woman who is amused, rather than upset by other peoples’ judgements about her life. When I can pull that off consistently, I’ll be happy.
When I can stop judging others, and stop judging others for judging me, I’ll know I’ve truly arrived.
Until then, at least everyone can agree on our wrongness about Whole Foods.
I’ll be the one with too many products in the express lane, and I’ll be amused.
Sometimes I feel like I get it from all sides, too… I’m too religious for most but not religious enough for the super-religious people. I’m too autistic to be Aspie but not autistic enough to fit in other circles. You know. But, I’ve got two choices, right? I can love me and accept me, or I can… not. And I’m SO over “not.”
well said Lyds!
Be happy being you – I’m happy you are you! 🙂
My Gran said ” wouldn’t the world be boring if we were all the same” and it would be dull as dishwater without you Michelle
I swear I could have written this, but not as well. Once again you have given voice to some of my regular thoughts. I love ideas but ideology scares me. I can also relate to the fear of being judged. When I was an Autism blogger I always felt like the weird New Age Aunt at the family dinner who talks about what house your moon is in while everyone nods politely. I never could tell if anyone related to what I was writing because I felt so different, even though the other bloggers were always so nice. I think it is about becoming so comfortable within our own skins, values, and personal missions that what others think has nothing to do with us. There are very mainstream things that I find totally out there. For example – all those graphic crime shows that seem to be on every channel all night. Some people watch those for hours before bed. Why is that mainstream? I don’t get it. But those people aren’t sitting around wondering why someone like me finds that strange – and they shouldn’t.
Another amazing post!!!
I love this line!
What I really want is to be a woman who is amused, rather than upset by other peoples’ judgements about her life. When I can pull that off consistently, I’ll be happy
Awesome, awesome!!!
: )
“I’ll be the one with too many products in the express lane, and I’ll be amused.” Love this! Love the whole post! xo
I am reminded here of a line from Walt Whitman: “Do I contradict myself? Very well, then I contradict myself, I am large, I contain multitudes.”
And if we are–and I think we are–all multitudes, then something within us can touch something within another. It’s the looking for and finding that something that’s hard.
And sometimes, I think, that our own multitude eludes us and we find ourselves not enough. Then, it is, that I think we judge ourselves harshly. We needn’t worry about the judgments of others, when we have within ourselves the ability to be so ungracious to our deepest dreams and visions.
Peace.
Love this, Michelle. So very well said! Have often felt the same -that I don’t quite fit in anywhere. But who really does? I just try to find commonalities where I can and let the differences fall away.
Halle-FREAKING-lujah! My grandfather used to tell me that there was no pleasing everyone, so that if I was pissing off some people from both sides, I was probably doing the right thing, so long as I felt good about it.
Go Gramps!