New Normal

     When we start out in life with no experience or knowledge of the world and other people, everything and everybody is "strange" to us because no one is just like us (the only person we really know and that's limited). Through the years of elementary and even middle school, we come to expect things within limitations of what we know. We are sometimes surprised by aspects of the way life is in homes other than our own. I remember spending the night at a friend's house and for part of Saturday morning I was expected to stay in the house where I watched out the window as my friend had her "fencing" lesson. I had never seen anyone who fenced and it certainly wasn't within the expertise of anyone in my family. My dad had a hunting rifle and had once killed a bear- something my friend's father (a doctor) had never done. Through those years we usually become aware of styles and behaviors, slowly moving away from the way things are in our families and toward our peers. By the time we reach high school, the way we wear our hair, the clothes we choose, the way we speak all become very crucial in our efforts to "fit in". Then as we spread out from our high school life, we further expand our expectations of the way things are done and slowly come to realize, at least most adults, that there are as many opinions as there are people in the world. What is expected for dinner in Sri Lanka is nothing like what is expected in Seattle. Hairstyles in Haiti are pretty different from those in Ireland. Even socially acceptable behavior can be very different in different places. So, what is "normal"?
     As I approach the ripe old age of 70, I'm finding that "normal" for me is changing nearly every day. Sometimes it's a little startling, even scary. I try to open a bottle and am surprised to find that the arthritis that is developing in my hands makes it nearly impossible. By 5:00 pm I am surprised to find myself looking forward to going to bed rather than other, more exciting activities that might have attracted me 50 years ago. I have been fairly intelligent- had a college scholarship that I ended up not using but it was awarded to me, and I have continued to pursue education and been fairly adventurous about trying new things and loved going to new places. Yet, I am sometimes stunned when I can't think of a simple word or remember the name of a person I know fairly well. I look in the mirror and identify more with my parents or grandparents than with Mary. My eyes and ears don't work as well as they once did and I'm sure that's only going to continue in that direction. I am at a loss as to what to expect at all! I suppose all this is within the "normal" range for my age. Somehow I guess I thought I would have gained enough wisdom and experience by now to not be so much taken by surprise. I just wake up every day wondering how everything is going to go. I no longer assume the people I love will always be there. I no longer take for granted that I will be able to do whatever I might have planned. I guess nobody really knows exactly what "normal" is because it's different for everybody everywhere throughout their life.