ARE YOU NORMAL?

23^th of  March, 2020

5:07 A.M.

I was waking up the whole night that day. I did not sleep a wink. I had altered my sleeping schedule in such a way that it was deemed abhorrent by my kin. It was that day that I questioned myself, “What is normal? And what is not? And how does one determine which is what?” I had to ask this to myself, as my assurance was drowning in the ocean of doubt. Was I normal?

*

The world we live in needs stability. It craves security and detests change of any kind. We might have friends who seem adventurous to us but that just remains on the surface. Even they have built up a schedule, formed bonds with their loved-ones that they might hate to change or affect with their actions. As human beings, we become attached to things around us, the people and the situations we live in. We rarely welcome change, that too only in case it leads to pleasantness. Due to this habit of attachment of ours, we build up a bubble for ourselves. We live and thrive in it. We rarely want to step out of it. And that is good, building up a routine, setting goals, achieving them in a time frame and continuing the whole cycle.

The problem is this - Change is the law of nature. In all likelihood, you will love this whole world of yours, for a time. And then the situations change, weather changes, relationships change, the energy around you changes and that little bubble cannot fulfil your needs anymore. Chances are, it bursts in your face. And all this happens suddenly. Everyone wants to avoid such a blow-up. You would want to. Why does that bubble burst? It happens due to change. You probably heard, your beloved brother Time does not really like to wait for anyone. And with it, nothing else waits for you. Your goals, aims and most importantly, your normal, moves away from you.

So, what is it that I mean to say?

Change yourself, regularly. Your habits, your tactics, your formulas, all of them need regular updates. The reason is very clear. Even though you live in a bubble of habits and practices for some time, this time should be short. And as soon as you feel that your methods are getting old or outdated, change them, with no second thoughts. This does not mean that you need to change yourself as a person, but just that you need to change how you deal with life.

To sum this all up, all I recommend is change in schedules. Change your daily schedule regularly. Do this to, frankly, avoid your life to blow up in your face. Make new ‘normals’ everyday. And never let anything remain as it is for a long time.

Next time someone tells you that what you are doing is not normal or just plain unusual, don’t let them get away with it. Explain all of this to them, they will probably run off before you did. So, thank you for bearing with me, folks.

*

5:31 A.M.

You know what, I don’t care. I don’t care about what they think is normal and what is not. I create the normal for myself. And I am very proud of myself for it.

And with that, the girl went on with her life.