Waiting for Normal

I read a great book this summer called Waiting for Normal and I just love the title!  (I also loved the book, and recently picked up a copy of it so I can reread it whenever I'd like.)  While the book is targeted at young adults, and really is quite different than my life, it does have some parallels that made me think...

I have NO IDEA what normal is.  I don't know that it even exists outside the dictionary.  I do know that my "idea" of "normal" is very skewed and warped.  For example, I think it's normal not to drink anything for days cause I don't get thirsty.  (Not normal.)  I also think it's normal that I don't get hungry and eat only because I have a little alarm set to go off several times a day that reminds me it's time to eat.  (Not normal.)

The thing is, there are a lot of things that I did think were normal, at least for me, but it turns out, they're not...  I figured it was no big deal to get a little dizzy every morning when I got out of bed.  Figured that the quick movement from laying comfortably in bed to standing would cause that near-syncope to happen.  Thought I just needed to move slower and have a glass of water.  (This is very NOT normal, by the way.)

I also thought it was pretty normal to always feel slightly achy in your body.  Like, my shoulder hurts 24/7, but it's a dull throb, so I just learned to ignore it.  Same with my lower back.  And my wrist.  And my knee.  Figured that it's just part of life to ache constantly, and you just learn to live with it.  (Again, this is far from normal....)

Come to find out, that it is possible to live without that constant ache.  It is normal to live without physical pain.  It is normal to wake up in the morning and go about your day without any worry of fainting.  It is normal to get thirsty, to get hungry, to have occasional aches and pains.

I've always known I'm not normal, but this was a shocking realization.  At least now that I know it's possible to live within the realm of normal, I now know what I'm shooting for...