Normal is when you are happy and sad in response to life's ups and downs.
I wonder if anyone ever gets "cured" of depression. I seem to cycle between what I would call normal happy and normal sad then genuine depression then agony, can't stand the pain, want to curl into fetal position, drowning can't breathe. The meds make the depths shorter. The CBT helps to understand some of the sad and really depressed phases and can make them a little better but nothing seems to help the agony phase. Drugs, alcohol, anything to take away the pain just make things worse long term.
I finally went to my doctor with a partially filled in referral form to a mood disorder clinic. She referred me, but who knows how long it will take?
Anyhow if it works, I will tell you what normal is.