I’ve spent a lifetime in pursuit of a normal life. Try as I might, it’s nearly always just out of reach. That’s what happens when you have multiple chronic illnesses. They take up so much room that everyday things get pushed aside. On rare occasions, I get to enjoy small servings of normal. Each one is a precious luxury that is never taken for granted. My revised goal is simply to achieve ONE normal activity every day. When it happens, I bask in the glow, cherishing each moment that resembles a normal life.

Many would give anything for just a small taste of normalcy. We dream of a humdrum life filled with dinners, dishes, carpools, rush hour traffic, and the million other things that make up the average person’s day. When disease and illness chip away at your ability to engage in everyday activities, you have a choice. You can wallow in the misery of your lot in life or you can fight like hell to hold on to what little sense of normalcy remains.  I choose to fight and then celebrate every small victory as if I had just climbed Mount Everest. In truth, many everyday activities do feel like I’m climbing a mountain.

It is a luxury to be able to cook your food, wash your dishes, and do your drying. I stopped seeing them as unsavory chores a long time ago. On those infrequent days when I can care for myself and others, unpleasant chores become luxurious opportunities. When “must do” transforms into “can’t do” your whole outlook on life changes. Those rare “can do” moments are met with enthusiastic excitement. Almost any activity can be a sweet, satisfying luxury when you are denied the privilege. Never take those routine, everyday activities for granted.