Here’s something that I notice too many people seem to get caught up on or driven nuts by, two simple words, normal and perfect. Well here’s the irony they don’t exist. You’re better off believing in unicorns. Yet these two concepts cause so much unnecessary grief. I hear all the time for those who struggule and suffer “why can’t I just be normal, have a normal life?” For those that seem to have less strife on their plate perfect takes the place of normal. The perfect job, the perfect car, the perfect house, the perfect family. I’ve even seen the strive for perfection have deadly consequences when some that have power and control issues see their perfect ideals about things get disrupted or destroyed. They’d rather eliminate the challenge to their perception of things than admit the circumstances or themselves aren’t perfect. It is fools errand to strive for either. Closest to normal you’re even gonna really get is average, and far too often seeking perfection keeps you from seeing so many good things that do come long. Mr. Right is never going to be Mr. Perfect, and you can easily miss an excellent chance for a good relationship just because the person that comes along doesn’t hit every point on your mental check list. As for a normal relationship (there is no such thing), it gets boring very quickly. A little weird can go a long way when wanting to keep things interesting. People seem to so quickly disregard and reject so many good things if they don’t fit their mental ideal of how they think it should be. Nothing is perfect and never will be, nothing is normal so why drive yourself nuts with it. Also as it stands everyone’s concept of what is normal or perfect is completely different from everyone else’s. Yet the media likes to bombard us with their versions of the normal family and life 2.5 kids and a picket fence, or the perfect body or life style. Keeping up with the Jones’s and the perfect carefree life is a race no one is ever gonna win. When we see those things that from the outside seem so normal and perfect I guarantee its not, there’s always some flaw hiding under the surface.It’s a lot easier to find peace, contentment, and joy when you have slain those mental dragons of perfect and normal, and like those dragons they are just as fictitious. So stuff those psychological monsters back under the bed where they belong. Unlike learning the truth about Santa Claus it is very cathartic when ridding yourself of those false concepts. What you should focus on striving for is trying your best, being forgiving, showing kindness, and having compassion not just for others but for yourself. It’s hard to let go of such strong ideals but it is worth it, and that does not mean you just settle for whatever. Be realistic in setting your standards and forgiving in your expectations. Be honest with yourself and about the situation at hand. Happy accidents happen all the time and the unraveling of your ideals could set you on a path you never considered or expected. Defy normal and try something outside your comfort zone. Forget perfect and take a risk once in a while. You deserve good things but save yourself some grief and try and stay within the confinements of reality. Almost perfect and kinda normal are good bed fellows, embrace the unique, unusual, strange, quirky things life sends you. So, roll with the punches, there’s a lot to be learned from perfect and normal situations that go haywire. Life is messy that’s just the way things are. We hold so tightly to those ridiculous concepts because they make us feel safe and in control, but is when we face things outside our comfort zone we really get to know who we are and what we can do. An over ridged branch will break easily when pushed; it is when you can bend like a reed and bounce back that you can really start to enjoy the small things. So rid yourself of those impossible ideals and revel in this odd world we all exist in, it’s worth the work and a lot less aggravating.