Normal

What is normal?
I always thought it was an insult. I thought it meant boring, uninteresting, bland. If a person was "normal" then they have a "normal" job, a "normal" life trajectory, etc.
When I first moved to Germany, I had a friend I respected very much for being who she was. One day, she said to me, as we were discussing life and more philosophical matters, "Ich bin ein normaler Mensch." She just stated it with some consigned feeling of acceptance and even contentment or pride...pride in simply knowing what she was. I remember thinking that I was shocked that she said it with such apparent apathy. I thought, perhaps it means something different in German.
But, no. I means that she thinks she is just simply a "normal person". And that's fine and good.

I always avoided consigning myself to any category, trying to avoid limiting my actions, my thoughts, dreams, potential for anything. However, I start to wonder if maybe life would be easier (and happier) if I just accepted a few "facts" or details that seem to stick hard and fast to me.
I also have a "problem" with wanting to be many things (thus, the avoidance of category placement) and sometimes it is a psychological strain to simply keep trying or thinking in a way that brings me into some discovered self or brings me to maintain how special or interesting I may be.
I am tired.
That's another topic, but the topic of being "normal" is what I want to think about.
I want to concentrate for longer than 5 minutes on it. And I was able to do that while running yesterday (an hour in the forest).

As Deleuze states, we are always in the process of "becoming", of becoming woman, white, heterosexual, middle class. But, then we also have a collision with other knowledge, other ways of "being" and "becoming" that challenge us. Other philosophers (cited so often in my area of study) go on to talk about performing and performativity.
Where does performing begin and "real" activity, some might say, "honest" activity or truth begin?
My problem is that I believe in these philosophies. I believe that we all perform most of the time; We all have "situated" knowledge that is our capsule that is our source of education or indoctrination, or our "becoming"...
How can the two be thought of for me?

I want to always "become" - it's not about "development" or progress. It's experience and challenge.
Perhaps, that is "normal".