Defining normal. That’s an easy exercise; just enter the word in a text box on Dictionary.com and, like magic, a definition will appear. Striving to be normal is much more complicated. But is that even a worthy goal? Since I started writing these posts under the moniker alvandyk.com, the tag line has always been Striving for Normalcy While Living with Parkinson’s. I am now convinced that I set the bar far too low. It’s time to rethink the notion that normalcy is the gold standard.

Normal is the floor, the baseline, of what I should expect out of myself.  Simply getting out of bed each day and taking my first step should suffice if that is all that I strive to be. But it takes work to be something other than normal, it takes a sense of direction and purpose and at times it takes a mentor to walk along side of us and to show us the way. A teacher, a parent, a friend, a pastor or a peer; mentorship is the vital link between a life that is normal and ordinary and one that rises to the level of extraordinary. No educator or entrepreneur would settle for normal, no athlete should settle for normal and no artist could settle for normal. And neither should we. We were designed for so much more.

And using a physical condition Living with Parkinson’s as a qualifier as to why I should be content with normalcy is equally troubling. Would I go through all the effort if I were living with athlete’s foot or a tooth ache? Striving for Normalcy While Living with Athlete’s Foot or Striving for Normalcy while Living While in Need of a Root Canal doesn’t really sound all that difficult to me right now. If someone were to see me walking down the street, on most days, only those few with a trained eye could tell that I have a medical condition; the lay person would be none the wiser. My advice to myself is becoming more clear, I need to suck it up. Today, I have all I need to live a life that has all the makings of one that can be extraordinary. Tomorrow brings with it its own issues, over which I have no control. I just need to start living like I actually believe it.

I can no longer settle for striving for normalcy instead I am going to strive to live an extraordinary life. Whether I have Parkinson’s or athletes foot, I should not let any particular condition lower my expectations of what I am capable of doing or able to achieve. My goals need to be as lofty, and my desire to attain them as fervent, as if I were normal; whatever that means!

My family and I have had the fortune that so many lives have touched ours these past few years that filled the void as un-official mentors. You may never know who you are or that you were so instrumental in our walk. Some of the relationships go back many years while others are relatively new. Your words have not gone un-heard or your actions unnoticed. Like I said, I have everything I need to live an extraordinary life.

Thank you for reading, liking and sharing

Al Van Dyk and his faithful companion, Ivy the wonder pup.