when will I feel ‘normal’ again?

My friend, Cat, and I were talking over dinner a couple nights ago about the twisty turns in our lives this past year.

Cat lost her mother last February. She was killed in a car accident. Cat says sometimes she’s good and then suddenly, she’s blue beyond reason. She said she is waiting to feel ‘normal’ again.

She misses her old self, the dependable one. The one that could get up and march through the day without feeling sad.

I can’t imagine losing my mother like that … I say little prayers for Cat all the time. Maybe you could too?

My life twist was different.

Last June, I ended up with a chronic nerve disorder that causes a lot of pain. I am doing a little better every day but I still struggle. One day, I’m nearly normal. The next, I’m in a hole. Makes me miss my old self. The cheery ‘good news’ girl.

I think there are a lot of people like Cat and me walking around out there. Fine on the outside but broken and weak on the inside.

The husband whose divorce was just finalized. Or the mother whose child just finished chemo. People going thru life wondering when their old ‘normal’ selves will show up …

This year has taught me that when I’m going thru my day, I’m probably bumping into a lot of broken and bruised people.

It’s like we’re all in a hospital really. And some days, we’re the care givers. And some days, we’re the patients. But because we’re not in scrubs or hospital gowns, we’re not sure who is who.

So I just try to remember to be extra kind. And careful. To everyone.