Be Bold - Not Normal

This past weekend I went to see Bon Jovi with some wonderful friends.  My love of music is always a great excuse for us to get together.  We had a delicious meal before and rocked out like silly groupies at the concert.  And let me tell you, Jon Bon Jovi can still sing and move after all these years.  For 90 minutes I was back in college “Livin on a Prayer”, going down in a “Blaze of Glory”, tasting some “Bad Medicine and “Keep(ing) the Faith.”  Great show, but the highlight of my evening came from spending time with such great people.

After the concert we walked to a hotel bar, ordered drinks and sat back and enjoyed each others company.  A couple hours and several rounds of drinks later, in the middle of a light but lively conversation, we ran smack dab into a very interesting topic. What was normal?  And did we want to be normal?  Was normal a marriage of almost 50 years where the husband and wife continued to love and honor each other?  Was normal friendships that lasted 25 years or longer?  Was normal giving others the benefit of the doubt?  Was normal to love always and forgive quickly?  Was normal helping others when it is easier to help yourself?  Was normal a funeral in a high school gym because that was where the heart and soul of the deceased rested?  Was normal to touch so many lives that you actually filled that gym?  Was normal for beloved friends to drop anything and hold you during a tragedy?  No I don’t think so.

The more we defined normal the more we decided that most definitely we did not want to be normal.  Normal was a ho hum way to live life and all of us wanted to break out of normal and live a bold life.  We decided normal medical tests results were sought after but normal living was not.  

Being bold is not always easy and is not a one size fits all.  What is bold for me may not be bold for you.  For me, sometimes being bold was just walking into a room, sometimes just pushing the covers down and getting out of bed.  When I was so sad and angry, being bold was smiling through the tears.  Laughing when I wanted to cry.  Now boldness is becoming different for me.  Doing this blog is bold.  Standing up for my beliefs is bold.  Loving and trusting again is bold.  Reaching out to someone who is hurting is bold.  Who knows what bold holds for me tomorrow?  I hope great things!! 

So my challenge for you today is to take the first step to a bold life, whatever that may be.  The rewards will be worth it…  I truly believe it.