Diary of a Parson’s Wife

Polly Zipperlen wonders…is it normal to be weird?

I often think to myself that I might come across as a bit weird sometimes, for example choosing to spend two months at sea on what was essentially a floating rowing machine. But on pondering this, I can only conclude that everyone is indeed a bit weird and one person’s weird is another’s comfort. A bit like the old car-boot adage, “one person’s cast-offs are another’s treasure”, or in my case it’s just all treasure. Although with a 300-mile relocation on the cards, I MUST refine my treasures.

What started this meander of thought was a recent night out held in honour of one of husband Marcus’s longtime colleagues. I am not sure of the correct term for a gathering of clergy in one place, but ‘gaggle’ is possibly appropriate? Anyway, there I was, along with other clergy spouses (mainly wives), berating myself for not getting together more often as we are a diverse and friendly bunch – or possibly ‘gagglet’.

However, the retreating vicar made the customary “Goodbye, it’s been lovely” speech, in which he referred to the remark made by his wife when, 35 years previously, he had suggested to her that he might wish to be considered for ordination; “But vicars are weird” had been her response. At which point I chuckled, mainly because I too have long-since considered this to be the case. I am not sure if this is because or in spite of being married to one.

But perhaps faith is a bit weird, whether religious faith - Father, Son, Holy Ghost; a virgin mother, resurrection; the list of outlandish goings-on is endless, or mysterious, faith. I have a friend who believes wholeheartedly in the existence of mermaids - tails, scales and all. And what too of superstition? A friend of my son ‘has’ to wear his lucky pants when playing rugby, having developed ‘faith’ that this will lead to match-success. He then feels the need to investigate when, on multitudinous occasions, there is either a match drawn or lost. He feels compelled to search for a fabricated loop-hole in the superstition narrative.

On reflection, I feel it is probably okay to be a bit weird, even desirable and the better you know someone, the more likely you are to uncover a person’s weirdness. So, let’s acknowledge and celebrate our peculiarities, and if that includes religious faith, fabulous - the bigger the ‘gaggle’ the better.