A little help

I figure if I’m going to name this blog “Deviation from the Norm”, I should explain why. First definitions.

de·vi·ant (adjective): deviating especially from an accepted norm
de·vi·ate, de·vi·at·ed, de·vi·at·ing (verb): 1: to stray especially from a standard, principle, or topic. 2: to depart from an established course or norm

nor·mal (adjective): 1: perpendicular; especially : perpendicular to a tangent at a point of tangency
2a : according with, constituting, or not deviating from a norm, rule, or principle
b : conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern
3: occurring naturally
4a : of, relating to, or characterized by average intelligence or development
b : free from mental disorder : sane
5a of a solution : having a concentration of one gram equivalent of solute per liter
b : containing neither basic hydroxyl nor acid hydrogen
c : not associated
d : having a straight-chain structure
6 of a subgroup : having the property that every coset produced by operating on the left by a given element is equal to the coset produced by operating on the right by the same element
7: relating to, involving, or being a normal curve or normal distribution
8 of a matrix : having the property of commutativity under multiplication by the transpose of the matrix each of whose elements is a conjugate complex number with respect to the corresponding element of the given matrix

all definitions are from Merriam-Webster.com

If you look at all the definitions of the word normal, especially that first one, you can see why I never liked that word. The first definition is the original one. How does that apply to who I am? Who anyone is? The only time you will see that word from here on out will be like this: “normal”. I think there are so many other words that are more accurate. Average and typical are two that leap to mind.

That second definition of deviating is probably the most applicable word for here. To me, the phrase “to stray” implies a conscious choice. Not all deviations are something that one can choose.