What is Normal?

Over break, I've been catching up on some reading that I've had on my bookshelf for awhile...most of it having to do with collegiate ministry and young adults/ twentysomethings. One that I'm reading right now is Twentysomething by Margaret Feinberg. It's pretty general so far, but still a good resource for those working with students just about to graduate college or just out of college.

One point that Margaret makes is that we too often compare ourselves to others' progress. We hear about these AMAZING people in their twenties who are doing great, inspiring, meaningful things. They're starting businesses, have 4 kids, travelling around the world, or in the NFL. We forget that these people are not the norm. If they were, we wouldn't hear about them. But, because we have the internet and access to lots of things around the world, these stories are only getting more and more frequent. These stories often leave us "normal" people feeling like we should be further along in life, or that we're lacking in some area. But this is simply not true.

My generation is trying to achieve in 10 years what our parents achieved over their lifetime. We want the house, the furniture, the job, the position/title, the education, the travel experience, and the family that takes time to get. In order to not be the generation that is stressed out and pushed to the limits, we gotta slow down, take time for people (including our growing families), and learn to rest. And to enjoy God and His creation. Isn't that so hard?

Okay, so as an encouragement and reminder to myself and hopefully to any readers that are out there, I am going to start highlighting some ordinary, normal people who may or may not be making the news about their amazing accomplishments, but who are seriously impacting the world for the good. If you have any suggestions, please email me at tiffanydotmalloyatgmaildotcom.