I’m not talking about the discomfort that comes from clothes that are absolutely inappropriate for your body type but rather the discomfort that comes because it is a new sensation it doesn’t feel normal. Except there is a problem, it is not comfortable. Who of you have been shopping with a friend in order to update your wardrobe, and you knew it needed to happen because you were tired of wearing the same old frumpy clothing? When you try on something that is a bit more current, more chic, more stylish, you receive feedback that you look good. And normal too often, because it is familiar, is safe. Yet, as others have defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over but expecting different results, normal can be its own brand of insanity, especially when any outside observer would say, “that needs to change.” But change does not occur, because it does not feel normal. It is comfortable because at least we know how to live this way, which makes us feel confident, or at least competent. Because it is a known way, the normal is familiar to us, and thus it has its own comfort. “Normal” has numerous definitions, but in this context, it means the usual, the way things have always been, and thus, the known way of doing things. These people have come face-to-face with one of the most powerful forces of the universe-the power of normal. There is a force that says to stay the same, not to change to maintain, to hold on to the way things are. Yet as we work together, they find there is a great resistance to change, particularly from within themselves. There is great desire for life no longer to stay the same. Generally it is a change in the way they relate to one another, or a change in the way they see themselves. I work with people who want change for their lives. Yet, for her, it is more than just flying it is about resisting the status quo that is wreaking havoc and destruction on the citizens of Oz, particularly those who are different or unique it is about change. The song is entitled, “Defying Gravity.” During it, Elphaba, whom we know commonly as the wicked witch of the west, decides it is time for her to fly for the first time. One of the pivotal songs of the musical comes at the end of the first act. I am a fan of the musical “Wicked.” To me, it is much more than the back-story for the characters of the land of Oz, but a real story about identity, the seeing and embracing of who one is, and the power of identity in loving another, even at the cost of sacrifice. (Originally printed in 280 Living, Birmingham, AL, November 2012)
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