Normal

HILE it's all still clear in my head, here in early 2025, I thought it might be worthwhile and potentially educational to write an (incomplete) list of things that have long been considered part of normal life in the United States:

• Taking a trip across or outside the country without asking a government official's permission.
  
• Crossing state lines without going through checkpoints. 
• Being able to use interstates, state highways, bridges and local roads without a second thought, because they've been reasonably maintained and are open to traffic.
  
• Being able to get by on a single income. (NOTE: For many families, this is no longer "normal.")
  
• Being able to afford keeping a pet.
• Being able to afford meat and eggs.
• Being able to afford the occasional meal in a restaurant.
• Being able to send a letter or package to someone else in the USA via USPS and knowing it will arrive within two weeks.
  
• Seeing same-sex couples in public just living their lives.
• Seeing mixed-race couples in public just living their lives.
• Understanding that the phrase "all men are created equal" doesn't mean we are all born into equal circumstances--we're obviously not--but that we are all considered equal under the law. Even the President.
• Having your basic civil rights secured even if you're not married, middle-class or higher, white or male.
• Not having to be a Christian (or even religious) to participate fully in public life.
• Not having to justify your existence if you're a childless woman.
  
• Being able to get the book, music, movie or game you want from the public library.
• Having access to a public library.
• Being able to vote in local, state and federal elections without intimidation or coercion.
  
• Having a reasonable expectation of the peaceful transfer of power between one administration and the next.

What are your expectations of "normal life" in the USA? Are there things you anticipate might change in the next few years?