Don't drink the milk.

Normal. Perfection. I've been hit pretty hard by these two concepts recently. Whether it has been conversing with friends or simply reading blog posts that others have written, it just keeps slapping me in the face.
I, of course, am both of these things. Normal and Perfect. It is a pretty amazing combo if I do say so myself. I never lose my temper, I never feed my kid McDonald's..or any fast food for that matter, my home is always spotless, and I meet my husband's every need with nary a complaint. In fact, I never complain about anything. I am the epitome of patience. Oh, and I'm not sure if you've seen me, but I'm smokin' hot. Flawless in fact.
Yeah. So.....why exactly are we holding this as the ideal? Why are we holding our true selves back from one another? Believe me, this is coming from a woman who has hid dirty laundry(not figuratively) from our lovely housekeeper who comes once a week because I was mortified by the sheer amount of piles I had accumulated. Really?
Let's take it a step further. Why was I so annoyed when Wyatt didn't smile in any of our family pictures this past weekend? I believe our photographer's exact words were, I've never seen a kid look so sad/angry blowing bubbles before. Excellent. Why was I so pissed? It's because I felt like it was a reflection of me. I was embarrassed. When the meltdown at the store happens, or Wyatt starts acting up, instead of thinking that he's seven years old, bored out of his mind and just wants to "act his age" I am being selfish...I'm worried that the appearance of the situation and the fact that we're not a picture perfect family (literally in this case) may shine through. In all honesty, it would probably be a great reminder to order the picture where he's miserable...because why pretend to be something we're not?? As my incredibly wise girlfriend mentioned- "perfection is equated with control," and as many of us have learned the hard way- that is something that we as humans simply do not have.
So, to heck with perfection. Let's talk about normal. I think this one is a bit more difficult to embrace...because deep down we know nobody's perfect. But normal? Normal blends in to the crowd. Normal can live day to day without having unwanted attention drawn to it. If you're not "normal?" Holy crap balls- you're screwed!- That sucks for you!!
Isn't is sad that that is how the majority of people think?
My bestie Merriam-Webster says this about normal:

¹nor·mal

 adjective \ˈnȯr-məl\

: usual or ordinary : not strange

: mentally and physically healthy

1

:  perpendicular; especially :  perpendicular to a tangent at a point of tangency

2

a :  according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, or principle

b :  conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern

3

:  occurring naturally <normal immunity>

4

a :  of, relating to, or characterized by average intelligence or development

b :  free from mental disorder :  sane

Don't get me wrong, sanity is definitely good. But here's the thing. While being normal, may, on any given day be easier, it certainly doesn't set you apart from the crowd- positively or negatively. In fact, I thought that it was interesting that the antonyms of normal were: abnormal, exceptional, extraordinary, odd, out-of-the-way, strange, unusual.

Fascinating. At the end of the day I would rather hang out with a friend who is exceptional or a little odd as opposed to one who is ordinary. Wouldn't you?  Why do we place such an emphasis on maintaining the norm..the status-quo? Why do I feel that I need to stick Wyatt in that normal box of perfection, when in reality if I didn't squeeze him so tight he could be something extraordinary? We don't want our kids to be walking bots of normality, or make them think that just because society thinks this way, it's the right way. The beauty of people is that they are all wired differently with amazing talents and gifts- many of whom are anything but usual or ordinary. Again, particularly in the realm of child-rearing this is easier said then done. I just wish I could embrace this on a daily basis instead of worrying so much about what others may think or say.

So, what to do? I have found that surrounding myself with a handful of exceptional, extraordinary, unusual friends (not to mention my hubby) help to offer the support needed in keeping it real and essentially, at the end of the day keeping me grounded. A few of them, like myself, may even have expired milk in their fridge.
You may be thinking that you're going to stop reading this post now, particularly if I triggered your gag reflex..but grossness is not what I'm getting at. Spoiled milk is a reality. Life gets in the way. The milk goes bad and it stays in the fridge. You may be like me who buys another carton and pushes the spoiled one further back. (Who wants to pour sour milk down the drain anyway? ) Stuff happens. We are working or playing, or spending time with spouses, kids; craziness ensues and the last thing you're thinking about is pouring that blasted milk down the drain. Or throwing out that head of cauliflower that I SWEAR I was going to make something incredible with..... but I digress. I'm just saying at the end of the day, let's try not beat ourselves up. Rest in the fact that whether anyone will openly admit it to you or not, they've been there despite their seemingly beautiful rested face.

P.S. If I know you're coming in advance, I will  have fresh milk for you. I promise.