New Normal  

New Normal.  I go back to 1980 when I worked as a civilian triage pharmacist at Fort McCoy, WI for the Cuban-Haitian Resettlement Project (aka Marielitos). It was a surreal experience that became normal, 10-12h days, living on an old military base, having limited supplies, eating at a mess, then repeat the next day, 7 days a week. Worked with all kinds of patients and staff, including interpreters. We were all captive up to a point. You lived and worked in this bubble that became your normal and felt out of place when it was over. for me it was June to November and it felt like years . . . in a good way.

A FB group to find people who worked there (I'm in the middle of the picture 40 years ago): https://www.facebook.com/groups/CHRTF/

COVID makes us lazy. 😆 😆 😆 

Turns out, my "normal" has changed quite a few times - I guess the first was when I changed schools my Junior year of high school (sure, I didn't go through a war, but have you met high school girls?) Then it changed again when I moved to a tiny town in Mississippi where "everybody knows your name" - sort of like a screwed up Baptist version of Cheers except without the fun bar part - THEN - my world was low key rocked when my 3rd child was diagnosed with autism. That one SUCKED. One thing I learned - and this is pretty clutch - "normal" is a figment of our imaginations. The definition depends on the person & their perception of reality. Also, I decided I'm cool with being different - fitting out if you will. When you're a kid all you want to do is belong to a group - to fit in with the cool kids or whatever. Then you become a wife & a mom - and you try to live up to THAT expectation - (which is impossible) - THEN you hit 40 & decide that what everybody else is doing semi blows. Maybe wanting to be like everyone else is NOT such a grand idea. That's pretty much my life in a nutshell. So....

In the pandemic period. I have to buy an electric smoker. And every Friday makes BBQ or chicken pieces and enjoy it.