Ordinary days are the best. The tempo of routine isn’t something I dread. I wake up to see my husband sleeping next to me and I smile. My daughter wakes up, the pitter-patter of her feet quick and then she stops to check to see if we are both in our room in the morning. As soon as she curves the hallway, I hear my morning rooster call, “Momma!” and my day begins.
What follows are routine everyday things, which most classify as boring. I find comfort in making my daughter’s lunch, doing bills, and washing dishes. I enjoy the time in between these things, the slice of solitude sandwiched in-between. Yesterday, walking to the mailbox, I noticed a green cactus, and in the middle of all the thorns, there was a single yellow flower.
The flower reminds me of those moments in between the ordinary. A kiss from my daughter, a hug from my husband, and a cup of tea after a morning run. There is something extraordinary about these little things that happen amidst everything. It is what I call the preciousness of solitude.
Welcome! I am a lawyer turned freelance writer, essayist, and editor. On staff at Literary Mama and the co-founder and co-editor of the literary journal, The Sunlight Press, my essays and reported work have appeared in The Washington Post, The Lily, Saveur, Civil Eats, Brain, Child, ESPN and elsewhere. I am currently at work on a memoir on grief and culture and how it provides perspective on life’s ordinary graces. I invite you to appreciate the ordinary with me. I hope my daily practice of seeing the magic in the mundane helps you celebrate and find more of these moments in your life too.
Nice. Reading your blog is a nice slice of solitude for me. :-)
I cherish the little things, too. Occasionally, though, I do wish my own little roosters would crow just a tad bit later. =>
Life, I guess, are truly the moments we’re in, rather than the moments we’re waiting for.
Beautiful pic, and a nice post. :)
It’s true isn’t it, there is so much beauty in just the every day. The trick is slowing down enough to notice and appreciate them. I need to be constantly reminded to do this. The funny thing is, my children remind me often, in their spontaneity, and the words that they say to me. Every once in a while they catch me off guard with a gift, maybe it’s just an unexpected I love you.