Ordinary Days
“After all," Anne had said to Marilla once, "I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string.”Anne of Avonlea, L.M. Montgomery
So many days I long for adventure.
I look for magnificent. Or incredible. I would also settle for amazing.
I don't look for ordinary.
I blow past ordinary with a sense of casualness which could cause a selfish child to blush. To be candid, I have a difficult time seeing self-centeredness in the mirror. However, when I start to whine about the internet being down while I'm on an airplane, 30,000 ft in the air, it's time to adjust my perspective.
It's time to find the Extra in the ordinary days.
I love the Anne of Avonlea quote above, because simple pleasures truly are like pearls slipping off a string. Simple pleasures are valuable. They don't make much of a fuss as they slip away, so we best pay attention. As you wrap up this week, think about the pearls in your day which, when noticed, can reset your perspective and recalibrate your attitude.
Here are some "extras" I want to notice in the ordinary...
The "routine" sunrise
"What is the good of your stars and trees, your sunrise and the wind, if they do not enter into our daily lives?" - E.M. Forster
The journey, not just the trip
"The traveler sees what he sees. The tourist sees what he has come to see." - G.K. Chesterton
The benefits of rest
"The mark of a successful man is one that has spent an entire day on the bank of a river without feeling guilty about it." - Author Unknown
Freedom in unplugging
"The real problem is not whether machines think but whether men do." - B.F. Skinner
The silliness of life
"The best things in life are silly." - Scott Adams, Dilbert cartoonist
Reading, reading, reading!
"The man who does not read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them." - Mark Twain
Regular playtime!
"You can learn more about a person in an hour of play than in an hour of conversation." - Plato
Opportunities to show affection
"Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives." - C.S. Lewis
A dog's life
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semi-human. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." - Edward Hoagland
Howling at the moon
"When a finger points to the moon, the imbecile looks at the finger." - Chinese proverbWhat are the little things that help you keep your perspective?