I Am Ms. Sensible. It's the New Super Power

Last week I got called "sensible" for the first time in my entire life.

It was, I tell you, a watershed moment.

On the face of it, "sensible" practically sounds like an insult. You could substitute "boring" or "unimaginative" and no one would be surprised.

And I did get a slight stopped in my tracks, feeling for the body parts kind of feeling -- especially when the woman who said it added in, "Look, you're wearing a sensible jacket (used, purchased from a high-end consignment shop), sensible backback (Tumi) and sensible boots (Frye -- owned for 13 years).

It's weird, all of a sudden, to get a mirror held up about how the world views you.

And, frankly, it's about time to be "sensible." I'm almost 45 years old, have two boys, run a business and am a single mom, after all. It might just call for a dash of "sensible."

I've been called a lot of things, with "crazy" and "kooky" often topping the list.

People might think "crazy" is an insult, but I've always taken it to mean "different" or "hard to understand." For a very long time it upset me. I wanted to be "normal."

Those who know me know I grew up under less than conventional circumstances, had an alcoholic marriage, survived the death of my daughter and then got a divorce.

I walked out of that marriage with a calm assurance that "normal" was a goal I could no longer pursue.

It was quite liberating, I'll tell you.

A friend of my mom's told her, "By the time Anna gets through this one, she'll be like fine tempered steel." Feeling at the time more like a crumpled piece of tinfoil flapping on a car where an antenna should be, I thought: "That sounds good" and began hoping for the best.

I decided early on that "maturity" would be a good goal.

Mature and sensible aren't the same thing, but they have some things in common.

I think of mature as a person who makes good decisions, understands enough about life to be compassionate and knows how to balance hard work with self care while appropriately considering others. The mature woman knows a lot about life -- she's been around the block a time or two -- but she has kept her sense of humor.

I don't see bitterness or cynicism as signs of maturity -- more like defeat. I aim, as some as you know, for my world domination.

Sensible, I think is one aspect of maturity.

I walked home from that conversation in my sensible boots feeling a little surprised and a little excited. I realized it's true -- I am sensible.

I added "Ms." to the equation just to remind myself that sensible can be sexy and light. After all, it has to do with the senses and the ability to feel and understand situations and environments well enough to make good decisions. Sometimes the best decision is to get a little crazybeautiful.

With that little caveat, friends, I'm gonna own sensible. I'm gonna work sensible.

In fact, sensible is my newest super power.

Your Turn

What do you think about being sensible? Are you sensible? Do you know anyone (besides me) who is?