The New "Normal"

If you drive around Austin, Texas for mere minutes, you are likely to see a bumper sticker or someone wearing a t-shirt with the words “Keep Austin Weird” emblazoned on it. It’s a source of pride for the Texas Capitol City, which is home to the main campus of the University of Texas. That phrase is synonymous with Austin, a city with an international reputation for being funky, creative, and authentic. Austinites are proud of the “weird” moniker, and they wear it like a badge of honor.

Approximately 372 miles north of Austin is Norman, Oklahoma, the home of my alma mater, the University of Oklahoma. If you spend a longer amount of time walking the streets around Campus Corner, you might see t-shirts for sale in some of the shops that say, “Keep Norman Normal.” Clearly, this is an attempt to mock the “weird” label of their hated Texas rival.

I am a die-hard Sooner fan, and I’ve spent years cheering against the Longhorns when they have competed against my Sooners. But I own a “Keep Austin Weird” t-shirt and would never consider donning one that says, “Keep Norman Normal.”

According to Merriam-Webster, the definition of the word normal is “conforming to a standard, usual, typical or expected.” Some may find what I’m going to write next unfathomable and possibly offensive – but, that just sounds boring, unimaginative and lacking in any possibility of innovation.

As a white, heterosexual, Christian, it hasn’t been much of a stretch for me to fit into the “normal” label. I was born into a typical white family, went to college, married a white man, birthed a white child, attended Christian churches, and had a satisfying career. I have virtually no complaints about my life. However, at some point in my life journey, as my field of vision expanded and my friend group increased, I became aware of the infinite spectrum of possibilities that exist outside of the suffocating confines of “normal.” I was introduced to new concepts, new ideas, new ways of thinking, and surprise – my life is richer and more meaningful, as a result. I can only imagine how the word “normal” has been used to hurt people on the margins or outside of that narrow category.

As the nation and world begin to plan for how to “reopen” following weeks of isolation, the term “new normal” has resurfaced. My colleagues and I even recorded one of our Texas Injury Prevention Leadership Collaborative Conversations on this topic. But I wonder if once again, our expectations are too limiting? What is “normal” or feels right to me is often beyond the realm of what is normal to even members of my own family. Couple that with the long-held beliefs by many who are white (and I’m including myself in this) that “our” life experiences and “version” of normal is the only “right” way.

As we contemplate a path going forward, isn’t it time that we find shared symmetry and consider new approaches instead of holding on to old views? Make no mistake, there are things that I enjoyed pre-COVID-19 that I will miss. But I really believe that the purpose in looking back is to learn from past mistakes and successes so that we can improve the future. If we spend too much time mourning what was, we will miss the beauty of what is or what can be.