Ordinary or Extraordinary
We can go through life day in and day out, but what do we notice, and how often?
It feels like so many of us need some big trip or vacation on the books to look forward to in order to feel our sense of adventure, or we want to go to new places and explore new things to feel a sense of wonder. And while all of this is grand and good—I mean, who doesn’t appreciate new experiences, new adventures, travel, and all that comes with it?!—what if it didn’t have to be so complicated?
What if we didn’t need to have a lot of money or PTO to use, or have all the cards perfectly aligned, to feel adventurous or experience wonder at all? What if what we call everyday life—the simple, ordinary, and mundane—is actually one big adventure filled with magic, mystery, and awe? What if it comes down to perspective? What if we could start every morning excited to be alive for another day, no matter what?
What if we could begin to see our lives as one giant roller coaster ride? Isn’t it funny how we seek out a mystery novel for fun but can’t stand when we are living with unknowns in our own lives? Isn’t it interesting how we literally spend a ton of money to go ride some wild and crazy ride at a crowded place we call an amusement park, and the ride takes us up and down and all around in circles, sometimes even flipping us upside down or shaking us to our core? But when anything like this happens in our lives, we crumble, resist it, fight it, and despise it. We call it stress. We call it awful. We call it a horrible time.
But what if the whole point is that life here in this 3D world is meant to be one big adventure? I mean, no one ever promised it would be easy. What if we are meant to ride the waves and “ooooh” and “ahhh” along the way, filled with curiosity instead of resistance?
What if we could begin to see that the sheer fact that we all even exist—8+ billion humans and God knows how many insects, birds, and animals—on one planet orbiting in space is absolutely incredible? Yet here we are. What if we could get lost in the mystery of how all of this life stuff actually works? How it can be lights out for me while you might be wide awake under a sunny sky in a big city in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, and I could wake up and be standing right next to you within 24 hours if I wanted to!
What if every time we felt the sun on our skin, we allowed ourselves even the briefest pause to notice how incredible it actually feels, especially on a cooler day? Or the way a soft, cool breeze feels on a hot summer day? What if every time we saw a butterfly flying by, we allowed ourselves just a moment of pause to bask in the delight and wonder and joy and all the good feelings they can bring us? The most fragile wings, and yet the distance they can travel.
What if every time we stepped outside, we looked up and noticed just one of the infinite wonders all around us in time and space, everywhere, no matter where we are? Beyond the natural beauty of Mother Earth in her trees, mountains, beaches, and more, the beauty of a tall cityscape can take our breath away if we let it. How magnificent and magical is it? Or the sheer wonder of a massive bridge?
What if we really tapped into our senses—some of the most beautiful gifts we have ever received—basking in the glorious feeling of all the many textures of the Earth that our bare feet can stand upon: sand, soil, every blade of grass, rocks, and so much more? Or the millions of flavors that we can taste? The magical moment when we pause and really let that piece of dark, salty chocolate melt on our tongue.
Or the endless delicious scents to smell? Like walking into a coffee shop and taking a nice deep breath, or stopping and smelling the most luscious rose. What are those tastes for you? Those smells for you?
What about sound? What about the infinite number of talented artists who have gifted us with music that penetrates deep into our souls, where we can feel seen and connected to someone we don’t even know? It takes just one chorus or one beat to whisk us all the way back into the nostalgia of some time long ago, lost in the conscious mind until the moment our entire body remembers.
What about the rainbow of colors and textures and hues and shapes we get to admire and see? The beauty that is literally all around us all the time? A color that can shift a mood, a rainbow that is sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face, the shimmer of the sun between the leaves of a tree and even the magical moodiness on a deep and dark cloudy day?
What if we paused for even a moment to reflect on the fact that absolutely nothing in nature was created by mistake, that even the most seemingly insignificant insect plays a vastly important role in our overall ecosystem? I mean, if that isn’t magic and mystery wrapped into one, what is?
And what if we could slow down just enough to really notice it ALL—the everyday—and begin to see it through a new lens? A lens of mystery, magic, and wonder?
What if instead of being so afraid of dying, despite not even loving the life we are living, we got so excited about living so much that we started thriving? Connecting? Being? Feeling it all? Seeing? Tasting? Smelling? Loving with our whole heart?
What if every new day truly is a miracle simply because you woke up, and each day is just another up or down on our roller coaster ride called living? What if every moment really is a wonder. What could shift?
What if, despite how many challenges we might be facing, we could begin to see how much of a miracle we still are? What if we could still choose to see beyond the struggle or pain into the magic, the mystery, and the awe? To no longer be clouded by the shadows, but to have the ability to bask in the light?
What could shift?
What if everything we have been led to believe is ordinary has actually been truly extraordinary all along?