Means something very different than I had once thought. I honestly believed that the law of averages meant when you divide X number of numbers by the sum of X numbers, you get the average, but that is just math!! The law of averages actually means "that a particular outcome or event will over certain periods of time occur at a frequency that is similar to its probability" thank you, Wiki & LAME, I know! I prefer my definition better.
What leads my mind to ponder this very out of the blue theory was a trip to the gym last night. I started running before my husband because he had to use the Gentleman's room. I had a full three minutes of run time before he even got to put his headphones in, YET he got off the treadmill nearly 11 minutes before me (we both run 2 miles and then do other heady workout s%^&!). So MY HUSBAND runs twice as fast as me – whatever! But what got me thinking was ok, I ran twice as long as him so who got the better workout or is it really equal? I am 4'11," and he is 6'1"…. Hmmm?
Ladies and Gentleman, this is typically where my philosophical side starts to run ramped. I started pondering high school gym class - let's say my initial theory is correct if we run the same amount of time. I mean run not jog, are our bodies accomplishing the same thing? Or do we need to run the same distance? Do high school kids really need to run a mile, or should they be asked to run 10 minutes without stopping instead? I bet the answer is out there; I haven't tried to look it up.
This thought, of course, leads to another, thus the beauty of philosophy, and I ended up thinking about my childhood and how not average I was. I was extremely below average (or so I thought) for a long time. My friends were all smarter than me, most were more athletic, I was the chunkiest girl on the cheerleading squad, I needed help in math, and I needed help in reading. Yet, after watching my husband run on that treadmill and reflecting on where I am now in life, I questioned all of that. Maybe the test, measurement, baseline, average, TEACHER, or whatever you choose to call it, is flawed? I think the world is set up for a particular individual(s). The individual was and is not me…
I realize for me, my struggle was being taught in a way I could understand and about things that matter to me. I am still this way today; if something doesn't matter to me, I pay it zero % of my time because it's a waste, and life is too precious to waste. If there were a measurement for the love of animals and the environment, I would have been at the top of my class! Even my Master's program, Nonprofit Management, it wasn't really yet an offering when I went to pursue my undergrad. Hence, I had to take "like" classes like Sales Management (?). I am pretty sure I got a D in that class. I was unable to "fake" sell anything my teacher asked because the whole premise was based on my ability to trick my buyer into buying something he didn't need; that's how to measure one's professional skillset? Ok, well, of course then, I am going to fail, because that method is not organic or authentic to me. Why would I sell something to someone they don't need. I thought I was the world's worst salesperson.
BUT, a decade into my career with a background in fundraising for causes that matter to me and connecting people to services that will better their life – turns out I am an excellent salesperson (side note I'm not too fond of the word SALES). You know what else I learned? I am pretty decent at math, and by the time I finished high school, I was in honors English.
LESSON: Don't square in peg hole yourselves like I did for so many years. Change and manipulate the world to whatever you need it to look like to be the best version of yourself and don't give zero s*& %'s to the things that don't support you!
Farm Update
Our neighbor, who also happens to be the sitter for our three girls, just let us know two of their families pigmy goats are pregnant, one already had two baby boys! They are selling for only $75 ya'll!! This means sometime soon, you are probably going to get a photo of the new additions to our crazy chaotic, completely NOT AVERAGE Gerken Family Farm.
Be Kind. Be Positive.