Absolutes: yes, no or maybe?

Growth comes not from hating what is wrong, but in loving what is right. I heard these words during yoga practice a while ago, another “ism” shared by our instructor. As a child raised in a Christian household, I soon learned that in life there are absolutes: yes and no. Right and wrong. Good and evil. Sickness and health. And the list goes on. Throughout the years, these (and other) absolutes remain, yet many have become muddied over time; shades of gray splashed onto a canvas of black and white. Rather than accept or reject, we choose to tolerate. Instead of casting blame or offering forgiveness, we overlook. An exception to the rule might take the place of “always” or “never.” Yet when it comes to growth, compromise won’t garner the results we seek: Because what we give out, we get back in the same form. However, I believe we can’t go wrong with love. But we’ll never be right about hate.

Do you struggle with any absolute(s)?

Normal is as normal does

[Image credit: Stuart Miles]

Normal is in the eye of the beholder. ~ Whoopi Goldberg

Yesterday I learned my lab work came back normal / negative.  One of my friends on Facebook posted how nice it is to be normal sometimes.  I had to laugh, because using the word normal to describe me is such an oxymoron.  If  a tiny percentage of people are likely to be the exception to the rule, I can almost guarantee I’m that one in 1,000.  It’s become something I expect — the norm, so to speak.  So to hear that I’m actually “normal” is a pleasant surprise, and a relief.  Of course, that doesn’t tell me what’s going on with my health, but at least it rules out some of the biggies.  As for the diagnostic test results, I’m trying to be patient, but I think I was passed up when that particular virtue was handed out.  So I keep reminding myself that the findings will be the same no matter when I receive the call.  And until I hear otherwise, I’m going to enjoy this brief reprieve of normality.

Are you normal, or more like an exception to the rule?