Thanks to all who left kind words and happy thoughts about the Petite Filet's newly diagnosed wheat allergy (she is also supposed to shy away from all things glutenous). She has been surrounded by friends who unknown to us suffer or know someone who suffers through similar problems. I know she's on the road to recovery. I've tried to be as supportive as I can be about the whole thing. However, because she's also supposed to stay away from dairy foods, it's like I've won the Cheese Lottery. I can start buying the extra-sharp cheddar I prefer now. Thanks again, Internet People.
As the world gets smaller, and we're exposed to many of the same hopes, fears, entertainment products and foods particularly in the ubiquitous landscape that is America it's all too easy to live generically. I don't mean simply buying nonbranded groceries at the supermarket or no-name clothes at the mall. No, to live generic can be something that applies to our entire lives. We can have generic personalities, berift of any excitement or original thought. We may end up marrying a generic spouse, having a generic marriage, buying a generic house, driving a generic car to our generic job.
Generic can be boring, but if we're so entrenched in the lifestyle we may not realize just how bored we are. There are some simple ways to avoid becoming generic, and a few that I could think of follow:
How to avoid being generic
Decide not to watch any movies or TV shows that everyone else is watching. Choose something different old or new or shun them all and read a book.
Don't pick your reading list from the pool of current best-sellers. Browse your favorite library and check out something that goes against your normal inclination. Learn something!
Not all of us can have "glamorous" jobs (like mine, of course editor of a smalltown weekly newspaper), but we can add some spark to whatever we do. Dedicate yourself to being the absolute best in your field, at least in some aspect of your work. Try it for a week. Focus. Then see what it does to the rest of your life.
Buy quality food. For me, I'm an egg snob. I used to just grab a dozen of whichever cackleberries were cheaper and not broken. Now it's gotta be Egglands Bestฎ or some other Super Egg. Sometimes I worry about what the egg plant has injected into them, but when I'm eating the eggs I don't care. They just taste better. This is not to say that everything that passes your lips must be gourmet. With the Petite Filet's fussy gut, we've been buying unaltered chicken and grass-fed beef. Sure, it costs a bit more, but the taste difference surpasses the expense. Oooh, and extra-sharp cheddar, baby!
Clothes don't make the person, so it's not that important that we buy the latest fashions from top designers. That is too pricey for my budget. But I have committed to wearing clean clothes, and usually they are neatly pressed. The generic life means following the sheep of all-too-casual dress. I like comfy clothes like everyone else, but there's a time and place. For me, it's all about boxer-briefs, too.
Most important: think for yourself. It's so easy to "blame the media" for all our problems, but as I mentioned in the first two bullet points, lack of original thought on our parts is mostly to blame.
Do something different. Note: I don't advocate doing something stupid or dangerous. Silly is good sometimes. Doing something outside our comfort zone is even better. This can be a vacation, taking a class, meeting someone new, indulging in a new hobby. Just be safe out there, kiddos.
Refuse to be anonymous. How you break out from the crowd is up to you. But it's going to inject some excitement into your world if you decide to stand up, speak up, speak out, speak loudly.
Driving across the United States on our lovely interstate highway system gives you a dose of monotonys, with its ubiquitously adorned gray ribbon of Snoozeville. Sometimes our lives can be a series of blurry yellow lines passing beneath our wheels. It's time for a change. Get off the interstate and enjoy the pleasures of the back roads. Smell a few flowers. Stop looking at your watch and take a few minutes to wallow in quality time.
How do you avoid a generic life?
I don't act my age. I see so many 40 somethings and ask my wife "Do I act like that?" She informs me, "No you are not normal." Which I take as a good thing.
I stay away from TV as much as possible. Stick with movies and comic books and "how-to" books. And I read T-Bone daily ;-)
I always eat what I want, and I never weigh myself. I exercise a lot and drink wine to stay slim. Woohoo!
I travel. I try to go someplace new at least once a month (twice if I can manage it).
Hard to be bored when you're meeting new people, eating different foods, listening to unfamiliar sounds, smelling exotic aromas.... :)
I'll be in Portugal this time tomorrow and can't wait! Woooohooooooooo!!!!
Cackleberries?!
I second the notion of not acting my age. I work to keep myself from falling into the prescribed role of middle-aged sock-folder and dinner-cooker. Irreverance is a good thing.
Give ol' Fussy Gut a quick hug from me, OK?
I don't mind acting "my age" - it is, afterall, an accomplishment, yes? But, I refuse to be stereotyped by brackets.
Blogging certainly keeps me un-generic, and Kman and I always take the backroads. Texas is a delight on these little off-the-beaten-path sidetrips.
Living with teenagers might be an antidote for becoming too generic, but it is a cure that could prove lethal as well as medicinal *grin*. Rates right up there with arsenic in your Lipton's.
Chihuahuas would be a better option - as housemates, not as a tea sweetner.
Sell all I own, and move to Key West
Great post. Hate to hear of the gluten allergy, but now there is so much that caters to that she won't miss out on much.
I don't act my age, never miss a moment to laugh or make someone laugh, and the most important thing I try to instill in the children: be the only, best, and most unique "tish" you can be. If that means being the class clown or the best nerd, so be it.
Have a better end of the week, dear.
Is it anything like Celiac disease?
Some of my relatives have it and I'm hoping it doesn't hit me...I love all things wheat...
I would hardly call my life "generic". I serve aboard a nuclear powered aircraft carrier, for goodness sakes. LOL.
I stand out by being good at my job and by being an entertainer. Not only because I'm good at it, I enjoy playing my guitar and singing for people. The more "audience participation" I get, the better.