if you're normal, you're not allowed.

between the publix & the quizno's, i heard a story on npr where this guy was talking about his retarded sister. this was his word. he said retarded. his sister was born in 1970, and that's what they said back then. when their mom died, his sister probably noticed at first, but forgot about her mom pretty quickly. the guy was saying this was a blessing for his sister, and the rest of us struggle with memories, and wouldn't it be nice sometimes to forget, like his sister does. i'd like to throw out there that those of us who are not retarded are not allowed to act like we are retarded. i mean, sure, it would be great to just forget some things, but the rest of the people in the world won't let you. if you act like you forgot something important - like... say... your mom dying - people will think something is wrong with you and they will do everything in their power to remind you. remembering is considered normal & forgetting is considered wack. so, it's not that we don't want to forget - there are tons of things we would all love to forget. other people just won't let us. if you're normal, you're not allowed to forget.

it's the same with people who say «my, what a lot of energy he has.» when they are talking about some little kid running circles around the restaurant or the jiffy lube. it's not all about energy. it's about being allowed. normal grownups are not allowed to run circles around the grocery store, no matter how much energy we have. we're required to partake of formal energy-releasing activities such as pilates or ballroom dancing. this is a good reason to have kids. when you have kids, you "have to" run around keeping track of the little buggers. normal grownups without kids have to stand in line patiently, wait their turn. if you're normal, you're not allowed to move.

sometimes it's okay to just want to run around in circles and forget.