Getting Past Unnormal


Unnormal- This is what I have been living since I arrived in India; well or so I thought.  I realize this is not a word, but either is what I have been feeling. As I thought about this feeling of “not normal” or “abnormal” I realized calling India abnormal is an unfair statement.  Indians could say the same about me if they moved to America. My norm is not theirs, but it doesn’t make them abnormal. I realized the judgment in my attitude as I looked at others here. The way they live, the way they walk, they way they eat, the way they dress all of it is different than me, but none of it is abnormal. In fact it is all quite normal for India. My judgment could keep me back from experiencing India. If I can begin to see through the lens of different, but not unnormal, I think I will begin to see people and see India, and I think it is then that I will really begin to live! 

I saw not one, but four bald eagles flying high over the valley today. The mountains were crisp and clear and the coolness of the air could almost be seen on the snow peaks of the Himalayas. Some people would pay thousands of dollars to come to a vacation spot to see things like this, because it isn’t “normal” to them.  I open my front door and there is the postcard. 


Experiencing different doesn’t have to mean experiencing abnormal.  Experiencing different can mean seeing beautiful, tasting heavenly things, feeling the sun in a new way, looking into the eyes of a child who is learning trust after abuse, holding the hand of a women when there are no other words, learning to speak with a new friend, seeing love.  This is what learning to live in India is really all about.

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