A Normal Life?

In the movie, "Tombstone" which Phil and I watched recently, the following dialogue takes place between Doc Holliday, who is lying in bed close to death in a sanatorium, and his friend, Wyatt Earp.
"Doc: What is it that you want, Wyatt?
Wyatt: I just want to live a normal life.
Doc: There is no normal life, Wyatt. There's just life."

Such a profound statement to be one so very simple. Is there such a thing as a normal life, or was Doc right? Do we make our lives normal or abnormal by our approach to living? Can anyone achieve normalcy? Does normal equal boring? Uninteresting? Routine? What is normal, anyhow, and is this what I want for my life?

I prefer to think of life as being ordinary or extraordinary, and to me normal fits into the ordinary category. I agree with Doc, there's just life. Life is what we make of it, how we greet each day, our approach to challenges, decisions we make about which direction to take, how we rebound when we take a punch.

When I was young, I guess I thought I'd have a normal life. I'd grow up, get married, have children, live happily ever after. It hasn't quite worked out the way I imagined. Normal? Not in any way if this vision was one of a normal life. But has my life been interesting? Yes! Heartbreaking? Yes! Challenging? Yes! Eventful? Yes! Fascinating? Yes! Eye-opening? Yes!Personally revealing? Yes! Boring, even? Yes, thankfully, on rare occasions! The list of yes's could get much longer with just a little more time and thought.

Sometimes I think of my life as being an ordinary one filled with extraordinary moments (hence the theme of this blog). I've had low points and high points, moments of sheer stupidity and moments of enlightened brilliance, moments I'm proud of and those I regret. With each day comes a surprise, an unexpected encounter, a unique experience.

It's not normal. IT'S LIFE.