Maya, I love your post and I wish that kindness and good deeds were the norm. Actually this whole issue came up in therapy for me recently when I decided to "fight dirty" with the legal issues in our lives and the core of me who stops for animals and picks them up if they look lost, who stops and gets toddlers out of the road. Who has little but gives away a lot. I love what you had to say. As for Normal, Gloria is right, normal is only close to what is average or usual. You are wishing for less pain and distress in your life and that is possible. I do not have bp disease but my son does and has done well with lithium and risperadol, I think he's weaning from depakote. He is the picture of physical health and is really doing well with his bp disease. Control it, don't let it control you.