Normal. Happy. Healthy

She looked down at her sensible shoes in disgust. How the hell did she get here? It seemed like just yesterday she was a 25 year old ready to take on the world. She was young, wild and carefree. Life had been good to her so far. Normal house, happy family, healthy body.

She joined a sorority in her sophomore year in college. They were a good bunch of girls, if a bit rambunctious. Grades were just as important to them as was living life to the fullest. During her junior year she dyed her hair purple and wore it in dreads. They went to frat parties and joined clubs. Over the summers they visited each other's families. They were sisters through and through.

It's hard to believe that college was 15 years ago. The toaster popped and startled her back to the present. Glancing at her watch, she hustled to pack her lunch and run out the door. The rest of the day dragged by. Nothing out of the ordinary happened at all. Her job, her clothes, her friends; boring boring boring. 40 years old and life has passed her by.

Later that evening she sat on the couch eating popcorn and watching a movie just like a million nights before. Tonight she was watching "Castaway" with Tom Hanks. As she ran her fingers through her bland brown hair she was once again reminded of college. No matter how many times she replayed it in her mind she still couldn't see the ending.

Her senior year had gone by just like everything else. Normal, happy, healthy. Whatever normal means anyway. She was offered an entry level job at a reputable marketing firm within weeks of graduation. She of course accepted and happily moved to the city to start her new life. She was excited to explore every nook and cranny of her new home.

She was in no rush but certainly expected to meet her mate, buy a home, start a family....you know, be normal happy, and healthy just like she always was. But somehow she missed something. She went to work each day. She took weekend trips with her friends. Once a month she volunteered at the soup kitchen. Normal. Happy. Healthy. So why then, was she 40 years old, living alone and wearing sensible shoes?

The next morning she woke up just like every other day. But today would be different. Today she would find her zen. She took a shower and ate her oatmeal. She drank her coffee and packed her lunch. But that's where the maddening ordinary stopped. She pushed her sensible shoes to the side of her closet. All 10 pairs! 10 pairs? My God! It was worse than she thought. Forging ahead she dug to the furthest corner in the closet. She grasped the 1st thing her fingers touched. Retreating back to her room she is smiling at her hands. She is clutching Barbie doll pink stilettos.

She begins to giggle uncontrollably. The shoes were from a Halloween costume in college. She quickly stepped into them and headed gleefully to work. She was excited for her day for the 1st time in awhile.

She inwardly smiled at the looks she received all day. The passengers on the Subway, the girl in the coffee shop, the front desk receptionist. They all noticed her shoes. And more importantly the way they made her feel. She purposely wore fun and flirty heels each day for several weeks. Her outlook was quickly changing.

Somewhere in the middle of week 3 she was sitting at her desk fruitlessly working on her latest campaign. A new pet store was planning their grand opening. "Critter shack" was ready to take on the pet world and she was uninspired.

Idly doodling on her notepad she didn't hear her office door open. Mike stood in the doorway staring at his marketing guru. He had been in love with her for about 6 years and today was the day. He was asking her on a date. His palms were sweaty and his heart sounded like a freight train in his ears.

Normal. Happy. Healthy. A new adventure has begun.