January 10th - Sacred in the Ordinary

Why is it that it takes a serious illness or death to make us wake up and smell the roses? 

You always think that you have more time, so you put this off and you put that off, until you find that you've put your life off entirely...there's always tomorrow, right? Until there isn't. 

Sarah talks about the play Our Town, how the heroine realizes how much living is taken for granted when after her death she is given the gift of living one more "unimportant" day of her life.

This day really helped me, because I did feel like I was drowning in unimportant and ordinary days, suffocating in boring and the mundane. 

She says that we should "seek everyday epiphanies-occasions on which we can experience the Sacred in the ordinary." She doesn't say just go through your day hoping maybe you'll see something kinda cool, she says seek, meaning to actively search for. Search for the sacred in the ordinary, sacred meaning entitled to reverence and respect, and ordinary meaning commonplace and having no special features. Seems kind of like an oxymoron doesn't it.

But is it really an oxymoron? Why can't ordinary, everyday things or experiences be entitled to respect? I mean, there are how many thing we have to do every single day, what's the alternative, disrespect them and live a life of misery? Complain every time you have to do it? Well that just sounds sucky.

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you" -NT

"Deny not the gifts of God, for they are many" -BOM

Sarah says we can't "afford to throw away even one "unimportant' day by not noticing the wonder of it all. We have to be willing to discover and then appreciate the authentic moments of happiness available to all of us every day."

I'm a big fan of not wasting things, I mean I used to freak out when water was just running while my husband did the dishes, or food that should have gone in the compost went into the trash, or something that should have been recycled wasn't...

the thought of wasting my days away is heartbreaking. 

But the best part is all you have to do is open your eyes. There are so many wonders that surround us every day! We just have to be "willing to discover and then appreciate" those moments to experience the happiness they have to offer. 

Here are some of my everyday epiphanies, and finding the Sacred in the ordinary.

Laundry

It's something that I have to do every day. But when I do it every day I get to make something that was dirty clean again, and that's actually a really cool feeling. When it comes out of the dryer all warm and you just want to wrap yourself up in it? Or it comes off the line in the summer nice and crisp and smelling like fresh air and sunshine? A little bit of heaven right there in a daily chore.

Family

I am truly blessed. I have an amazing family. They often drive me nuts, but I love them. 

And then my own family that I've created, my husband and kids, they are so awesome. Every morning I get to wake up and roll over, morning breath and all, and cuddle into my husband or he cuddles into me before the kids come running in. It's a special moment. When Robbie gets home and I get to hug and kiss him after a whole day apart, and the kids all scream "Daddy's home!"

Now of course these things didn't always excite me or bring a smile to my face, it took a lot of internal work (and communication with my husband) to get to this point. But I'm glad we've taken the time.

Of course I have more to share with you, but laundry is actually calling my name right now. And my kids have awoken from their afternoon slumber and are literally calling my name (usually it's music to my ears :).  So I hope you can start to see the sacred in the ordinary...

Because every little thing about life is so good, now and forever.