Define Normal

The Hobbit and I went to go see the Hobbit movie in matching Hobbit T-Shirts at the Memorial City Mall in Houston on New Years Day.

When my Hobbit is using his cane, people get out of the way, which is kinda nice–by that, I mean it shows that people are still considerate when they understand the situation.  Someone (who wasn’t handicapped) was sitting in the handicapped seats right in the middle of the theater.  They got up when they saw us coming and moved into the normal seating.  I thought that was nice.

The trailers started, and since my Hobbit isn’t fully blind, but remembering he is fully deaf without his cochlear implant, he can sometimes read and understand the huge words that stream on the screen.  We were watching a Mini Cooper commercial:  – the end of this commercial says “Who wants to be normal?” – my Hobbit read that and said out loud: Me!

For me it was a moment of clarity.  I know that my Hobbit really hates when people admire him for his ability to endure his disabilities.  He thinks somehow they are feeling pity for him, instead of actually admiring his skills, albeit skills that are not ‘normal’ for most of us.  That is where the clarity came:  One man’s normal is another man’s extraordinary.

I love my Hobbit (obviously).  My life has been ‘not normal’ for several years now and I think it has improved vastly because of it.  I have learned a new language, my writing has improved, my adventures are almost daily, and I have a kingdom of my own filled with magic windows, Hobbits (at least one of my own), bogs of Eternal Stench (the kids room), and so much more.

I’m glad for not being normal.

But… then again… I’ve never thought of myself as normal.  Have you?