Do You Appreciate "Normal?"

If you haven't seen the movie Unbroken, you should. The movie is the true story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic track star who survived a plane crash in World War II, only to fight for his life against nature and eventually as a prisoner of war. It was powerful, painful, and most importantly, shockingly eye-opening. But that's not the reason I'm writing this blog (although I am an avid movie-goer, I'm certainly not a reviewer - although that sounds like a fun second career!). I actually have been meaning to write about this for quite some time - the concept of "normal."

Most people take "normal" for granted.

We are all so busy chasing the almighty dollar or looking for something "better," that we don't stop to look at what we DO have ... the "normal" things.

What does "normal" mean? It means different things to different people, but basically, I am defining it as "having nothing really bad going on in your life ... especially the BIG things."

Unfortunately, I know WAY too many people who have had their "normal" basically destroyed - and for some of  them, it's gone forever. Here are just some of the examples. These people are either close friends, casual friends, or acquaintances of mine:

• A woman who lost her 16-year-old daughter in a car accident
• A vibrant, caring 44-year-old man who is full of life but needs a heart transplant ASAP
  
• A woman whose 3-year-old daughter has been fighting a brain tumor for the last 18 months
• A woman who has a horrific disease called gastroparesis that paralyzes your digestive system. This results in the inability to eat food, which causes other serious health problems.
  

I could keep listing more, but sadly, this blog would get too long.

But you get the point ... these people's "normal" is shattered ... forever.

So when is the last time you appreciated "normal?" When was the last time you gave thanks for your health, your loved one's health/safety, a roof over your head and the ability to eat and digest food? When is the last time you said, "I am so thankful that everything is 'normal'?"

We should even appreciate the "little" things when they are normal, too. For example, recently my house has been needing a lot of repairs. Broken toilets, leaking pipes, a garage door that is possessed and has a mind of its own, just to name a few. And every time I hear myself begin sigh with disgust and wonder "why me?" ... I quickly remind myself that "Hey, this ain't NOTHING!!" If these are my "problems" right now ... I'll take it!!"

This goes beyond appreciation. We all probably give thanks when something good and out-of-the-ordinary happens to us (new job, winning the lottery, meeting our soul mate, etc). But do you ever give thanks for "normal?"

I do.

And you should too.

Normal is can be really good. You just need to recognize that fact.

Cheers to having everything NORMAL!!!! :-)

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