Life truly is what happens while you are making other plans. Life is going on around you as you plan for the trip or party, worry about meeting deadlines and create an ongoing to do list.
I work with so many people who are always looking forward and planning rather than focusing upon the now. For individuals who struggle with anxiety, life is often spent developing crisis plans for every possible situation that could happen. As those minutes and hours of planning go by, the current time can never be returned to. Those moments are gone.
We live for the big moments in life such as graduations, weddings and births. We struggle with the moments of illness, caregiving and grief. Somewhere in between are the ordinary days. The days filled with cleaning the house, running errands and sometimes simply being. I went for a period of time where nothing in my life was ordinary. Although my life continues to be busy, it has reached a point where there is more routine than not. There is comfort in the routine of life when there is less transition and everything seems different.
Have you ever stopped yourself in the middle of an ordinary day and been grateful? The days of a regular routine have a type of magic which often become overlooked by something else on the list of life.
This weekend I had a lot of ordinary but each of the ordinary events made me smile and brought happiness.
These events included:
- An afternoon where neither my husband or I had to work. Thus, we went out to lunch at our favorite TexMex restaurant and spent the afternoon watching the latest James Bond movie. We both allowed ourselves to slow down and be with each other.
- A lunch with my Aunt and James at Cracker Barrell in honor of my Mom’s birthday. (Because Mom loved Cracker Barrell)
- As I always do on the weekend, I caught up on laundry but there is comfort in creating order in life. Additionally, we both went through clothes which need to be donated. There is great comfort in creating order in life.
- Although it feels as if I am always cleaning my kitchen, each time I find myself thankful for the beautiful kitchen we designed and the food we create in it. It is ordinary to wash those pots and pans but somewhere someone doesn’t have what I have been given.
- On Saturday night, we found ourselves at Buffalo Wild Wings and doing what every good SEC football fan does – watching football. For a hour or two, what mattered was watching the great Arkansas – Ole Miss game (Arkansas won in OT). I should also add I was pulling for Clemson as they are now 9-0 (not the SEC but a soft place in my heart).
- Sunday morning included sitting with my favorite coffee for the season (Gevalia Peppermint Mocha) and simply being in the silence.
- I also spent a peaceful Sunday morning at the grocery before the major shopping crowd. This was a time where the employees actually had the time to be nice and speak and other customers were actually smiling.
All too quickly, life can turn upside down and we begin to crave the calm of the ordinary and the routine of what we often gave no second thoughts about. To be honest, when my schedule is full, I often crave the ordinary.
As I start a new week, I’m grateful for the ordinary. I’m grateful for the moments that could easily seem insignificant but create the foundation of my daily life. There truly is magic in the ordinary if we allow ourselves to see it.
Do you find the magic in your ordinary days?
Joining Emily for Grateful Heart Monday and Christine for Meet Up Monday
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