The alarm clock beckoned at 6:40am this morning and I laid there for five minutes allowing wake to wash over me. I convinced my feet to find their slippers and shuffled in to make sure my middle-schooler was up.
It's raining and dark and I'm still in my slippers when I drop him off for school.
The rank-smelling dishwasher overwhelms me as I loaded the last of the morning dishes from the sink. And it lulls me, now, with its swishing growl as it cleans what we dirtied.
Taylor Swift and my daughter sing a duet in our back room. It's almost time for the carpool.In about 20 minutes I'll return to a quiet house. I've learned to appreciate the silence — where there's space to string together whole thoughts and think them or type them or just sit with them for awhile.
If I continued to list my today it would sound mundane. Today is pretty ordinary, just like yesterday and the one before.
But when I take a moment to embrace ordinary I find thankfulness. Because the slippers and the boy and the rain and the dishwasher and the daughter singing are part of my extraordinary ordinary. The kids I wouldn't trade. The blessings and the provisions and the warm house on this rainy day are more than I could ask for.
Most days I don't contemplate my life or my routine or the dishwasher's hum. But sometimes, it's worth being intentional about noticing the ordinary that fills in the gaps between the defining life moments.
Because it's all joy and there are treasures found when you embrace the ordinary.
This is a post in a series called, 31 days of Intentional Living. You can find all the posts in this series here, updated each day in October. Category: Inspirational & Faith
Linking today with Lisa-Jo…
9 comments:
I like that you wrote ordinary as being a good thing. All my life I wanted to be ordinary, so I'm glad you see it that way too! :) Lovely post! Visiting from Five Minute Friday!
I'm quickly learning that ordinary is a beautiful gift from God. Love this post (and that I'm not the only one slow to get dressed this morning!).
I love this... it reminded me a bit of Jeff Goins book The In Between... it's amazing how extra our ordinary can seem when we remember to give thanks!
Amen, girl. You are so right -- and even when our mundane gets a wrench thrown in, there is still joy.
Popped back in this week. Beautiful post. Reminds me of the ordinary beauty of our daily routine with our daughter, and to hang on to it as she continues to settle in to her new school. Thanks and God bless!
Thank you all for stopping by and leaving me a note!
Karrilee: I haven't read that book yet, but I'm a Jeff Goins fan! I'll have to check it out!
Thanks, Christy, for your words and sisterhood as we look intentionally for the wonder in life, slippers, dishes and all. Also, thanks for visiting my place. Your comment this morning started my day off with sunshine!
Ah, yes. I have to be so intentional about appreciating (and feeling thankful for) the ordinary. But it is time well spent - slowing to count these ordinary blessings.
Plus, you reminded me to start my dishwasher. So thanks for that :)
I love the quiet ordinary. I need to be more intentional about praising God for it. The craziness of the last few months have made ordinary seem much more appealing!
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