"We must overcome the notion that we must be regular. It robs us of the chance to be extraordinary and leads us to the mediocre."
~Uta Hager
***
For me, regular or usual is not an option. It never was. Sure, there are tons of things about me that are regular, typical, boring, average (insert word here). However, I spend a great deal of time living a life that is irregular and planning for more life that is even more irregular. As crazy as it may seem to some of you, I get excited about my life becoming even more unusual. That’s what I’m working so hard towards.
- It isn’t that typical to become a doctor. In fact, only 0.29% of the United States population are doctors. That is 1/3 of 1%. Pretty uncommon when you think about it. Of those, less than half are women. I feel proud to be working towards a career that is atypical and even prouder that I will represent women in a traditionally male work force.
- It is not common for high school sweethearts to get married either. In fact, only 2% of couples who started dating when one or both were in high school end up married. Of those marriages, 70% fail in the first 2 years. Guess we’re not ordinary in that sense either.
- It is not usual to live in a foriegn country. Most people live in the same area they grew up or at least in the same state. In fact, there are over 300,000,000 Americans. Less 4 million have ever lived outside the country. That’s only 0.013% Pretty uncommon.
- It’s also pretty uncommon to adopt. In the US, 2.5% of the population is adopted children. That’s about 1.6 million out of 300 million people. Of the 1.6 million adopted children, only about 20,000 were Russian born.
Our choices / lifestyle are not for everyone and I’m not saying that we’re doing things right or better than anyone else. I’m simply saying that I enjoy the lifestyle I live. I’m happy to be married to Frank and planning to adopt from Russia. I’m happy to be studying to be a doctor while living in a foreign country. I wouldn’t change anything about my life and when I found the above quote, it made me think.
***
All of that said, of course I desire the usual things - a healthy, loving marriage, children opening gifts around a grand Christmas tree and a long line of stockings hung above the fireplace, cooking a special meal in a large kitchen for a group of good friends, traveling with Frank to unusual places and exploring other cultures, planting a garden, going to school plays and basketball games, etc. Those things are important to me, too. It’s just that there is a whole other side of me that desires to do something a little more. Something extraordinary. That’s what gets both Frank and I excited and that’s what keeps us going.
Gotta love Uta Hagen. She was an amazing actress and teacher.
Comment by kate — April 15, 2007 @ 7:58 am
WOW, Living in the Cayman’s must be INCREDIBLE!!! Lucky you!
Comment by Texas — April 15, 2007 @ 9:35 pm