“The new normal” is one of those phrases that can accurately apply to a wide variety of life situations, including a medical diagnosis, death or change in life and work. The phrase implies both the newness of each of those circumstances, as well as the necessity that they will need to be normalized, integrated into the reality of our daily lives. Once we’ve settled into new routines and emotional patterns, our “normal” won’t be quite so new anymore, will it? The question is a subject of debate.
There is a large middle ground between the event that increases the need for “the new normal” and its final acceptance. Some people think it can’t handle tragedies. But the phrase keeps coming up in conversation, and it has made me realize that“normal”is the last word I would use to describe the fragile place I currently occupy. I find myself there as I mourn the loss of my grandfather, who died in September. For example, the new normal is to have Thanksgiving without Grandfather, then to remember him on what would have been his 75th birthday just a few days later. In other words, during this year of firsts, the new normal is a time of transition, not of arrival.
It strikes me that this is something to be celebrated, not worried over. Part of living positively is meeting ourselves wherever we are. And as I continue to navigate this in-between time, this period of slowly accepting my father’s absence from the Earth, I recognize that each step along the way is a worthwhile part of a healthy grieving process.
The same idea would apply to more positive changes, like a new home or job, as well as the challenges of the end of a relationship or a difficult medical reality. The new normal isn’t something any of us step into all at once. It’s something we become, move toward, and, eventually, accept. Let’s not be in a rush to reach that destination. The journey has much to teach us.
12. Which occasion should “the new normal” be applied to?
A.A person’s illness outbreak. | B.A person’s routine working. |
C.A person’s constantly normal life. | D.A person’s annual birthday celebration. |
13. What does the author discuss about the new normal in paragraph 2?
A.The fear of it. | B.The attitude to it. |
C.The reason for accepting it. | D.The difficulty in describing it. |
14. What has the author learned to do from Thanksgiving without Grandfather?
A.Forget the dead. | B.Live optimistically. |
C.Treasure the process over the result. | D.Mourn over a family member’s absence. |
15. What is the author’s main purpose in writing the text?
A.To tell us to value our past challenges. | B.To tell us some meaningful life stories. |
C.To teach us how to handle our tragedies. | D.To teach us how to cope with life changes. |