Staring in the mirror gave my soul a minute to breathe. Remembering times when I wanted to be anything but normal never wanting to grow old. As the lines in my face only deepen, so do the thoughts of a once younger man fighting to be different. Now as my age sets in a bit, I hear the thoughts of once me.
I snicker a bit, thinking "you never knew what you were thinking man."
Now I embrace these new thoughts,  thoughts of an older man. A man who has been down many roads and seen many seasons. A man who now only wants to be normal, blend in with the crowd and be listened to. I need not to be heard with my loud voice, or seen with my rebel look. I just need to be normal,  thankful when I can live normal.  Thankful for my senses allowing me permission everyday to see, hear, feel, smell, and taste life. Thankful for feeling love, through family and supportive friends. For the special connection I feel and am grateful for each day when I see my lovely wife. Grateful to be able to call my "normal" life, "my life." Grateful to learn from my past, to see my future and never to waste a single minute of life's precious minutes wishing I had anything else.