Normal things that are actually rare

If we take a certain distance from the activities we usually do, someone will come to the conclusion that there are some very strange ones. It often happens to me. Suddenly, I think I'm in a completely surreal situation and I feel strange, because I'm not comfortable if everything doesn't make sense. In fact, being rational to the point of irrationality could be the first normal thing that is actually strange.

If we enter more pedestrian territory, a very strange thing is to sit on a bar terrace to drink or eat. That is to say: we have a coffee or a 'llonguet' right in the middle of the street. And we don't just do it in front of other humans who have also decided to eat and drink in the street, but in front of hundreds of people who pass by and who watch us sip, bite, and chew. All this if, moreover, we don't have a coughing fit or the need to blow our nose right there. Many terraces are attached to the sidewalk and, in addition to the snack, we eat the car exhaust fumes, some of which pass too quickly or make noise or both. People also show up to sing or dance in exchange for some coins, when they should be the ones paying us for a consultation with a therapist to recover from the post-traumatic stress that their off-key singing causes. In fact, one of the worst moments of my life was on the terrace of a well-known bar in the center of Palma, when the appearance of a full tuna made me almost die choking to the rhythm of the infernal tambourines.

I'm also amazed by people who walk or run in a gym, with the machine attached to the window overlooking the street, as if it were a display of sweaty bodies. It's not my case, because doing sports alone with no other purpose than doing so goes against my religion – normally, I walk because I like to stroll with my dogs while listening to a podcast that makes me laugh a lot or because I have to go somewhere for a specific purpose. But what's the point of walking in front of a window that overlooks a sidewalk with people passing by. And paying for it! Taking a walk around the city doesn't cost money and you can look at the houses around you, some well-painted graffiti on the walls, and even hear some lost bird that has managed to turn up the volume above the noise of the cars.

It doesn't matter. The problem is surely mine. I'm the one who seems like a normal person, and deep down, I'm very strange.