We have a new normal. Here is what it looks like.
- Sleeping in five different beds over the past 15 days
- Waking up each morning having to orient yourself to which direction the bathroom is
- Running through the airport like OJ Simpson to catch your next flight, only to have them close the door as you arrive at the gate
- Six 1 ounce bags of pretzels and 3 ounces of Pepsi to meet your every hunger need as you fly from one city to the next
- Sitting next to strangers from around the world all battling for the treasured 12 inches of arm chair that separates you from your neighbor
- Missing friends from Florida as you reestablish friendships with friends in Wisconsin and New York
- Waking up with little voices saying, “Poppie can you read me a book, play hide and seek, or just cuddle?”
- Closing down one house and opening up another
- Holding mail, forwarding mail, and losing mail
This is our new normal. Often it is challenging. It is always exciting. It is not wrong. It isn’t abnormal. It is our new normal. If I fight against it it crushes me. When I embrace it and accept it it no longer scares me or overwhelms me, It becomes the norm.
I remember the first time we had to establish a “New Norm” as we cared for David. At the age of eight David began to lose his vision. To be honest we through the world was coming to an end. I remember thinking, how will we ever survive? How will David read, walk, or enjoy life without his vision? Well guess what? David learned to read braille, he continued to love playing outside with friends, and we survived. We established our first new normal. It was often challenging. It was always exciting. It wan’t wrong. It wan’t abnormal. It had become our new normal.