A teacher once handed out a paper. We were told to write what we thought was the answer to the following questions. Do not ask your friend or look at their papers. Say your first instinct.
1. What is the normal amount of sleep to get in a night?
2. Owning how many pairs of shoes is normal?
3. What is a normal amount to spend on a shabbos outfit?
4. On a weekday skirt?
5. On a pair of weekday shoes?
6. What is a normal activity to do after school?
7. What is an average amount of time to spend on homework?
And the list went on for the rest of the page. She called on girls to answer the same question. We saw how everyone’s perception of normal was different. One girl said that 6 hours of sleep was normal, another 10. 3 pairs of shoes or 6. We learned a valuable lesson about other people and perspectives.
A girl in the class said:
a) The only normal people in the world are the ones you dont know very well!
b) Normality is a state of mind, not a state of being.