Modern society puts us under enormous pressure to meet it’s ideals across all areas of life. This is ever more impossible to escape from in the social media age. We are bombarded by messages which invade our minds with perceptions of the ideal body shape and size, the hairstyle of the moment, on trend clothing, the car to drive and the house to live in.  Our primeval brain wants us to be part of a tribe so that we have a better chance of survival.  We feel compelled to achieve academic and career success, to have lots of friends and be liked so that we can belong and be safe.  I now know that this pressure fed into my eating disorder in various guises.

I am learning however, that the instincts of our primeval brain don’t work very well in the world we live in today. Our old brains and new brains do not sit alongside each other harmoniously.

Margaret is one of my chickens.  This morning, she showed me I don’t need to conform and that I should be true to myself and that while doing so, I can achieve great things.

Margaret is one of two white chickens in my flock and she lays white eggs.  On initial observation, you may consider Margaret as a bit of an outsider.  When I open the coop door of a morning, the other chickens make their way straight out of the run and into the open paddock to go and do, well, whatever chickens do! Generally pissing off my husband by digging up the lawnmower wire and shitting on the decking 😆 Margaret however, stays in the run and eats a hearty breakfast of layers pellets (a domestic chicken’s staple diet). In some ways she is shy and timid and gets startled quite easily, yet she is happy to stay by herself with me while I poo pick the coop, away from the safety of her flock.  She knows it’s important to start the day with a good breakfast.

Margaret doesn’t feel the need to follow the crowd and would appear not to be phased by making her own decisions against the mainstream.  And actually, rather than making her an outcast, the others seem to almost look up to Margaret and this morning, when she eventually made her way onto the paddock, they flocked to join her.

Margaret also looks a little different to the others.  She doesn’t have the ‘mother hen’ shape that you would perhaps envisage as ‘ideal’.  She doesn’t have a big bosom and curvaceous fluffy backside.  You may think she looks a little lanky and not very feminine.  Of course this would all be based on what you have learned a pretty hen should look like. Margaret seemingly doesn’t give a shit.

In spite of not conforming to many of the ‘norms’ expected of her, Margaret is absolutely owning it.  She is living her best life. This became evident to me yesterday evening when my daughter collected the day’s eggs and came to me beaming in disbelief and awe at Margaret’s offering.  As I contemplated Margaret and her personality this morning, she inspired me in showing that you can achieve massive things when you stay true to your authentic self.