“Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies, those transcendent moments of awe that change forever how we experience life and the world. ” John Milton

On Sunday morning, the desert sky hid from me. The day spoke of little light, tears streaming down the sidewalk, and the taste of gritty sand in my mouth. I made a decision to commit to my morning run despite the overcast and pensive hover of the clouds. Rain is a novelty in the desert and it often leaves even before it has a real chance to land. As I began my run, I smelled the sage and lavender bushes, the mixture of both a welcome smell.

After completing the first half of my regular route, I noticed the swirl in the sky. The grey clouds moved a little faster and then, within a minute, a torrent of rain released itself from the sky. I picked up the cadence of my run, but with more than 2 miles to go, the water hit my baseball cap and fell into my eyes. My arms creases cradled the water and my feet splashed mini puddles on the pavement. By the time I neared the end of my route, the clouds disappeared and the rain diminished. Although soaked, the experience of running in the rain left me rejuvenated.

And in it, I sensed an epiphany. In the last twenty years, I’ve questioned my own restlessness and am in constant motion to find peace of mind. Sometimes I think I try too hard and maybe it exists in the everyday. All weekend I focused on ordinary details of my own life and to my surprise, peace really existed everywhere. In my child’s laughter over a piggyback ride. A Sunday nap under a snuggly blanket. Snacking on chili paneer samosas in the middle of the afternoon with my husband and daughter. Squeezing in some writing time in my office. A phone conversation with a good friend. Reading Jane Eyre. All of these things, every one of them, are simple acts. It was running in the rain that led to this discovery. That peace is in the everyday details. There doesn’t always have to be a life altering experience.

Everyday epiphanies. They are everywhere. Find yours.

Image by Paul Albertella