The Magic of Ordinary Days
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.
Do you find the magic in your ordinary days?
Joining Emily for Grateful Heart Monday and Christine for Meet Up Monday
]]>
You hit the head on the nail with the anxiety observation! My days are filled with ordinary things and I often take them for granted because they’re there in my life constantly. I’m so glad you find solace in small things. All too often they’re overlooked and we forget to be thankful.
Thanks Sabrina. It’s truly the small things in life that make our days. The big moments are rare and not as common. Thanks for stopping by.
When my children were infants, I found myself looking forward to the days when they could be more self-sufficient. But then I realized I was wasting my time wishing my life away. I had to stop and focus on appreciating those ordinary moments. Great post!
Thanks Natalie. I’m so glad you’ve been able to stop and slow down. I believe we all look back on moments and remember how significant they were (but at the time, we didn’t think so).
It is so improtant to be grateful for even the little things. A wonderful post and reminder for us all!
Thank you Crystal!
This was one of the reasons I started blogging: to find adventures in the every day or as you put it to find the magic in every day. i think it is so incredibly important in leading a fulfilled and happy life because circumstances can be equally boring or really hard and yet there is magic/adventure to be found. if you train yourself to look for it, you are all the better for it.
Yes, it is all about training ourselves to look for the magic and adventure. The fact that we are alive is significant and shouldn’t be ignored.
Great post, Sheryl! I try to remind myself as often as possible to S L O W D O W N. It’s funny, but my mom and I were talking about this on FaceTime last night. I was telling her “I remember you keeping such a clean house, having time for a nap, and having dinner all ready by the time dad got home. You never seemed frazzled. How did you do it!?” She reminded me that it was a different time, not to put so much pressure on myself and to try to be more present. Admittedly, overexerting ourselves can steal opportunities to be present and grateful. It SURE is a different time with a lot more pressures. I suppose it’s unfair to myself to compare the two. Have a great week, friend!
Shellly, I know we are each struggling with slowing down and being present. Our lives move at a warp pace and our Mom’s didn’t have to worry about emails/social media/ and all of the other stuff. I’ve felt the same way about my Mom and wondered how did she do it all. We have to find what works best for us and remember what is most important. Hope your week is great too!!
Love the post! And yes, there is so much magic in ordinary days! I love quiet evenings relaxing on the couch with my husband as we both read and journal. So relaxing!
Elle, those moments are so significant and meaningful. I find myself craving them at times when life gets too hectic. That’s my sign to slow down. So glad you stopped by.
Buffalo Wild Wings is amazing… I miss it so much living abroad! And I agree. Finding confidence and happiness in the regular moments of life is so inspiring!
Buffalo Wild Wings is a place where you can’t go wrong – sports and great food (I’m slightly addicted to the salt and vinegar fries).
To answer your question: yes, I actually do find magic in the ordinary days. Like just tonight while preparing dinner for my family, I found delight in the fact that I had a family to cook for again. With extra people living with us for a short period of time, and knowing how happy they will be to not have to cook a meal made it magical for me to be able to serve them. Everyday can be magical if we stop long enough and look for it.
Michelle, you are so correct that every day can be magical. We simply need to remind ourselves to slow down for a second and recognize it as so.
The ordinary days are the best days. They are the days that remind us that we are lucky to be alive and that each day is a blessing. I was sitting on my daughter’s wooden chest while Kyle read her a nighttime story, nothing big or important, but significant. I don’t need extraordinary in my life anymore, I have them.
liz @ sundays with sophie
Those moments with your daughter are what you are going to always remember – and she will too! Those are the lasting memories. Thanks for stopping by.
Love the ordinary! It’s the little things and instances that we will have the fondest memories over and miss, such as something as special as hearing my grandmother’s laugh. We often ignore the ordinary waiting for better things. Great post!
Thank You Jessica. You are so right that we ignore the ordinary waiting for that big event and meanwhile we’ve missed something really significant.
I definitely need to be living in the ordinary more!
I think it’s something we all have to work at!
I absolutely love this! Last night the boyfriend and I were sitting on the couch, both totally exhausted and thinking an 8:30 bedtime would be an acceptable plan. Then he remembered he had a gift card for one of his favorite breweries and asked if we could go for a beer. We ended up staying for two and both left happy that we decided to get out instead of just going right to bed because we really enjoyed each other’s company and just talking. To me that was quite magical.
I love this! I’ve been feeling so out of wack since my car accident a few weeks ago. There’s a bunch of extra things that has to be done, and I’m craving the step back into my normal every day routine. There’s something nice about it, a knowing what to expect. It’s a very living in the moment idea.
You’re absolutely right about the comfort of routine. I was just thinking this morning how nice it was to be on the familiar train route and doing my usual thing after a few days off!
It keeps us grounded – the ordinary.
There is so much comfort in routine, and I rarely remember that unless I’m away from it. Thanks for the reminder – every day is perfect in it’s own way.
I’m the same as you, I don’t realize how much it means until it isn’t there. I hope you have a great week!
Great post! I love what you said because oftentimes we do rush and don’t pay attention nor appreciate ordinary days. I do take time to enjoy the ordinary days. I love relaxing on Saturdays and just watching Netflix. I know it sounds a bit boring, but I love it. It’s a day of the week I look forward to because it’s my time and relaxing to me.
I find myself needing days where I don’t leave the house and can sit on the house doing nothing. I’m so glad you have days like that. It’s a form of self care.
Yes. There is so much beauty in the ordinary days! I’m in agreement with Meagan too – comfort in the routine. Sometimes it’s fun to be “boring” 😉
Oh my gosh yes, I often don’t mind being boring!
Love this because it is oh so true. There is apart of me that loves the unknown and the excitement of something new but I find myself truly embracing the ordinary everyday moments. Things like a lunch date or a phone call catching up with a friend. We often overlook the ordinary and forget how amazing it is.
Anne, just now seeing your response here. You are so correct that the ordinary moments are so important and need to be embraced. We should never overlook them.