Is it safe to be different?

I was reading a comment in an awesome Facebook group (Glorius Gut) I am a member of and it sparked the topic of my post this early Sunday morning. I made a comment on that group then I thought it would be worth sharing here…

So here goes, my two cents on being different.

What is so called “normal” today is not necessarily healthy. How do you not fall prey to peer pressure?

Focus on your values and what matters most to you. Be confident that different is also OK… at times it takes one person to be brave enough to be different and question the status quo to spark a movement.

It takes someone to lead the pack… why not you…when you differ a bit from your tribe, the natural response is discomfort and they will want to bring you back in. It’s a natural instinct from caveman days… where being different from your tribe placed the whole tribe in danger..

it is no longer the case. Your life and your children’s lives are precious. Don’t worry so much that being different is bad… it’s not (even if people tell you it is).

Do what feels right in your gut, and don’t let that fear take over. When people see you stick to your guns and see how brave you are for doing so… then they will start asking questions, be curious… and you may spark some curiosity in them as a result. If not, worse case, people will respect your choices…

The best choices for you and your family may not be the most popular choices, but they are YOURS, and because of that, they matter!

Here are a few examples of choices our family makes, that really don’t follow the norm:
– we don’t have candy or sweets in the house or junk food
– we trick or treat and then we donate the candy… we enjoy the fun of dressing up, going from door to door and being with friends
– we don’t have cable and watch TV, we just have movie night, an odd show here and there on netflix if we are tired, sick or just want to snuggle… we find other ways to entertain ourselves or relax
– we homeschool
– we eat organic
– the only plastic or electronic toys that entered our house were gifts and we keep those to the minimum… most toys are natural, homemade and creative
– my child does not own an iPhone, an iPad, a WII… etc…
– we only eat real food…
– we rarely have dessert and if we do it is homemade and low in sugar
– we are not vaccinated
– our main health team are : chiropractor, naturopath, homeopath, energy healer, whom we see regularly for prevention … we go to the MD for emergencies 🙂
– we believe in metaphysical principles, quantum physics, energy etc…

These are but a few examples of us being different … and yet… we are not suffering and we still have friends 🙂 that accept us for who we are… and my daughter who is only 7 has always been kept informed of the why and the how of our choices so that she does not feel she is being “forbidden” just for the sake of us having authority over her. She understands the reason behind our choices… combined with teaching and modelling self love and self respect, and she would not dare hurt her own body or mind just to please others 🙂

Dare to be yourself, even if it’s different !