I found something that I wrote back when I was 16-year old.
"I am having an average week in so much as I feel average in every way imaginable. I am average looking with average weight and height. My hair is an average mousy brown. I'm a 6 3/4 on a scale of 1 to ten. My grade point average is average. Things could be better; things could be worse. If life were a bowl of cherries, I'd be the gushy part between the skin and the pit. Average.
It's not uncommon for young women, in particular, to feel awkward and uncomfortable with themselves. That particular day, I was just your average teenage girl on her average rampage. One of the best parts of growing older (and you know I espouse few advantage of aging) is that we tend to grow in confidence and in experience.
Today I feel more comfortable in my own skin than I have in my entire life. This is not to say that if I couldn't trade bodies with someone like Cameron Diaz I wouldn't or that I don't also wish for Publisher's Clearing House winnings. But, overall I am content with much of my life.
It sounds harsh to say, but I have grown accustom to my own mediocrity. While I'm pretty good, average, or good enough at many things, there isn't a single thing in which I excel.
I know a little bit about a lot of things. However, you could not get me to engage in in-depth conversation on any one topic for too long. I get my work done, but I'm not a star player. I'm in decent shape, but I am not athletic. I'll read an article or short work once in a while, but I don't consider myself well read. I can pick out the best bakery in town, but I can't make a scone to save my life. I'll donate old clothes to the battered women's shelter, but I always give out of my excess. I'm a good dancer; I'm not a great dancer. I'll make many New Years resolutions, but only achieve a handful of goals. I hear people talk, but I listen very little. I'm not destined for greatness, only good-enoughness. And, any mark I make on this world could easily be wiped away with Windex.
Is this depressing or what? I'm beginning to sound like that 16-year old again. Forget what I said about the advantages of aging. I really don't know what I'm talking about. That's yet another thing I only do well enough. And come to think of it, this is only a half-hearted post, but I suppose it will have to do.
Credits
4 comments:
Almost everyone is good at some things but excel at nothing. There's only a few that are extraordinary--the rest of us make up that great unwashed ordinary public. I'm comfortable living in that mass--there's plenty of company, if nothing else.
No reason to feel bad about it, Diane. Being ordinary and average is normal. I think there's some stigma to mentioning it to others--maybe that Lake Woebegone thing. Everybody is supposed to be above average--according to popular opinion-- but I've never understood statistically (sounds like work?) how that was supposed to be possible!
Brilliant! Or at least average...
My handle, KOM, is for King Of Mediocrity. Which is a joke in itself, I guess.
Lesser-minded people would describe us as dilletants. I prefer "well rounded" :)
Embrace the mediocrity, because even Steven Hawking knows that there is someone smarter than him.
Okay, first of all, you are not average-looking. You are great-looking. I run into average-looking people all the time and you are not it. You have surpassed average in the looks area. Take it from me. I'm an expert.
Second, your writing is DEFINITELY above-average. Most people can't string three sentences together without a misspelling or a punctuation or grammatical error. And if they can, they can't express a clear thought. So the fact that you can write every day without an abundance of these errors and at the same time express clear insights makes you above-average in the area of writing.
And by the way, chicks who can write are like the Holy Grail for me.
But that's beside the point.
Third, I think of the word "mediocrity" as having a negative connotation and definitely does not apply to you at all, IMHO.
Omigod! I so remember this particular jewel...in fact...I have a copy you gave me in my scrapbook from that year. I think that was around the same time that we did the Below-Average Barbie card...now that is one seriously average chick! You, chica, could never ever be considered average. You are a friend extraordinaire for starters.
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