What is Normal?

I'm happy to report that my night hours are back to normal, mainly. Insurance denied increasing the daily limit for nursing services. However, state insurance is likely to approve an extension retro-actively to January 1. Therefore, my nursing agency is allowing regular hours to resume, as long as everything is approved.

It is great to be back to the normal routine, but it also makes me wonder. What is normal? For many people, breathing, walking, and moving independently is normal. Living the quad life, all of those activities would be very abnormal. Therefore, normal would be something an individual defines for her or himself for some circumstances.

For me, wearing shorts outside in January in Iowa isn't normal. When conditions are just right, the regular routine can be adjusted. For others I know, this type of dress code is common all year long, no matter weather conditions. General society may think it's strange, but that also depends on the population.

In the U.S., it is normal to have things such as fast-food restaurants easily available and a common part of some family's meal plans. In other countries, they would be an extreme luxury and only found in select locations. Just within the United States, different regions have various accents and daily routines that are normal for that area, but not for others.

In order to define what is normal, it appears that you first look at the country a person is in, then what region, and finally for the individual. Therefore, I don't believe one universal definition can be applied to everyone. We need to look to an ultimate source for a standard.

As a Christian, my standard that I use is God, through His word. Looking at the moral law, the ten commandments, gives a foundation on how to live and what is good, or not. This year has shown already that everything in life can and will change, but the Bible is the only constant. Hopefully this week ahead will go according to my regular routine, but I know where to look if it goes astray.