Constantly, I ask myself what is normal? This is, of course, a highly subjective question, and certainly one that will not be answered anytime soon.
But tonight, normal was Iron Man.
Tonight, I was upstairs in the family room of a very American house. There were both an oven and a fridge in the kitchen, western style toilets complete with western style plumbing, meaning we could flush the toilet paper (really, the little things are so exciting). Some friends were downstairs alternately playing the piano, and Rummy Cube. And I was upstairs, tasting normalcy.
We were watching a movie on a real TV, not a laptop screen, with the sound coming from the TV, and it was plenty loud, so there was no need for subtitles. This isn’t normal for the World Race. We’ve found that when more than two people want to watch the same movie, external speakers get hooked up the laptop, and since there are often other activities taking place in close proximity, we learned very quickly that ‘ENGLISH Subtitles ON’ is a good mode for the DVD. But tonight was an exception. I sat in this beautiful American home, watching Iron Man, and I looked around, and I realized that this is no longer normal.
I looked at the amazing people sharing this experience with me, and again I realized how blessed I am. Dan, Jake, Joel, Kyla, Tomina, Abby, Emily and Jeff. Eight people whom a year ago, I didn’t know existed. And now… just two months into the race, they are all people who influence my life. They do it in such amazing ways, each person brilliantly unique, but each sharing the common bond of hearts on fire for the Lord. I am learning to love each one of them, and it is good.
My unusual night of normalcy has ended well, and as usual, with me in a pensive and nearly poetic state. I’m still trying to figure it all out, and maybe that is the point. That I won’t ever figure it all out. Because I am starting to realize that I know less about the world, and reality than I did when I left the US. It is a disconcerting thought, and one I plan to mull over for weeks and months to come.
