Day #88

What is Normal

Some things are so obvious that we fail to see them at all. Things that are ‘normalised’, things that have always been the way that they are.

I worked with a group earlier this week, around twenty people, listening to them describe their power and pride, telling me about the origins of their community, discussing their work and the ways that they had come together to be effective. The community had formed as a pandemic response: unable to meet in person, they created the opportunity for regular connection, and have thrived.

And they were all women. To me, that was the initial clearly defined impression, whilst to them, as part of the group, i’m not sure they saw it at all.

There will be many reasons for this: a legacy whereby certain roles are more likely to be held by women, who due to a culturally normalised feature also hold childcare roles and may shift into more admin type roles. All things that the Organisation in question is hoping to address, with significant efforts around opportunity and inclusion. And yet when i was there, it just seemed so normal.

Sometimes change is about monumental effort, and sometimes it’s about just asking ‘why?’

Use your sixty seconds today to look around you: can you see examples of something that is normalised, but that you may wish to change?

When you are looking, you may turn over rocks and look behind boxes, but don’t forget to look at the things in plain sight too. Things that are so normal, we barely see them at all.

(Here’s another example for you: when i bought my coffee with my daughter yesterday, the barista asked if i was on ‘daddy daycare’ duty - whilst i doubt anyone would ask my partner about ‘mama daycare’. We are just ‘used’ to women looking after babies).

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