Normal

Normal is a word that I've always struggled to grapple on to. 'Normal' size font, says Blogspot as I type. Heart rate, normal. Normal solution, said my chemistry textbooks. Math said a normal line is a right angle- right being ninety degrees but right also meaning true, correct, and what should be, right?

I think most of us are guilty of trying to be normal and falling in the category of people who do what's expected of them. I know I'm guilty of trying that- trying and failing miserably but trying nonetheless. What is normal, though, and why is there so much pressure to be normal? Robert Frost's The Road Not Taken was probably one of the most read poems growing up, part of the content of almost every English textbook. I remember loving and appreciating that poem. I was so sure that the poem was written for me and that I would never conform to the crazy workings of the world. And here I am today, quite caught between what society expects of me and what I really want to do with my life. I want to say that despite the conflicts and confusion, I've got everything sorted, but I would be lying to myself. I can say that it's a good life, and perhaps the uncertainty makes it all the more interesting. But getting things sorted will make life a little more richer.

For now, I'm learning how to embrace the confusion- because we're all a little crazy anyway, right? It's normal, right? :D

Paradise Found - 2

It was the second time he had brought her here, to this magical land, this other world. All with just one simple touch. She couldn't help but be as overwhelmed as she was the last time. The sun shining on each blade of grass, the beauty of the place radiating in every molecule around her. The feel of his hand and the gentle tug that it held hers with just added to the otherworldly experience that was overpowering her. 

The war at home was nowhere near the end. After years of fighting, after years of oppression, nothing had changed. Her visits to the beach were becoming less frequent. She had reached a point where she could no longer be alone with her thoughts, and even the sound of the lashing waves weren't loud enough to drown the voices in her head. They were there, always, haunting her and mocking at her, reminding her of what little power she had over her own life.

But no. She could not, would not let them win. Her whole life, she had been told what to do, her entire family had been under the control of the Empire. Freedom was just a word in the old dusted dictionary that her father had smuggled into their getaway. She no longer knew what that felt like and almost forgot what it meant.

Suddenly, realization dawned upon her. Along with that came hope.. maybe this new world- his world that he had given her the privilege to peak into- was the only remaining hope. Maybe all this was happening for a reason, and this was a sign, loud and clear.

She looked into his light, playful eyes, and they exchanged a glance that spoke a million words and encompassed an understanding so profound that even the depths of the waters around them wouldn't have been able to match up.