Paradigm Shifting - The Ultimate Super Power

So I’m having a conversation with a co-worker on the way to work….yes, they start at 6:30, I start at 9:30…I get calls.

Anyhoo, this man and I are bickering back and forth in a friendly manner disagreeing about how something stupid should be handled. He states his case, I state mine….dead silence.

Then he said, “Jeanette, did you know that you have a super power?”

My thought was….yeah right, why can’t I make people who like to argue with me self-combust on demand. Now that would be a super power I could really use! Except my answer came out sounding like, “Huh?”

Then he begins to drone on about how I have the ability to change paradigms and there are times that I don’t even know I’m doing it, but that I intimidate people all the time because I don’t allow anyone in my sphere of influence to stay neatly tucked into their little box. He went on to say something about my making people uncomfortable and that is why people don’t always like me. Of course he did add that I have self-confidence and I don’t really give a rip but reality is….I’d already started ponder and wasn’t listening to him anymore anyway.

I suppose I’m a paradigm shifter because…well I don’t fit into anyone’s box and quite frankly I get peeved if someone tries to put me into a box. I’m also extremely verbal…duh, have you seen my blog?

My whole life has been about breaking the molds….

I am a Messianic Jew. That means I was born Jewish, but have come to believe the Jesus is the Christ. Freaks out my Jewish friends. My spiritual friends go nuts because I tend to know what phase the moon is in at any given time. My Christian friends don’t like me to talk about it because after all I’m one of God’s “chosen” keeping in mind that my ancestors blew it big time and well…..whatever.

While my faith is strong and getting stronger every day, I am so much more and believe that everyone deserves love and compassion and understanding whether they agree with my beliefs or not. It really is just that simple for me.

My family is built on five generations of Marines. FIVE GENERATIONS. Goes without saying that I can kick butt even as old as I am. I actually broke my cousin’s nose when I was fourteen while beating him to a bloody pulp at a family reunion. He had made mention that boys would never want to kiss me because I was ugly. Next thing I knew, he was on the ground bloody and crying for mercy and my uncle and dad were both pulling me off of him shouting something about lady-like behavior. I have that behavior under control now by the way.

In my generation, there are 36 cousins. Four of them are women. Enough said on that one.

I work in the construction industry of sorts. I cannot tell you how many discussions I’ve had over my career about how a woman is just as capable as a man. I’m still trying to break that mold. Sick that the good ol’ boys club is still alive and well.

I am the single mom of five children….six if you count my daughter-in-law. I’m not on any public assistance and I’m really quite proud of that. When people find out that I’m a single mom of that many children, they make tons of assumptions. Actually breaking that paradigm is kinda fun. I would have rather been a wife and at-home mom, but life is still good.

I could go on and on, but my point is….I don’t fit anyone’s paradigm and I won’t be forced into a box. But that also seems to carry over to others. I don’t want anyone fitting into my box either.

There are so many interesting people in the world. Some are cruel and one or two interactions with them and I’m done. I’ve learned whatever lesson I was supposed to learn from them.

Some of the extraordinary people I meet I want to package up and take them home because they are just so wonderful.

It’s all an adventure and I’m looking forward to whom I might meet today. Way fun don’t you think?

So yeah, I’ll take the paradigm shifter super power. I like it. I’ll keep it. But I’m still going to continue working on the self-combusting thing because I think there is marketable value in that one.