I love the way authors can so often take fractured thoughts that lay captive in our minds and transform them into coherent ideas that help us see life a little more clearly.
That moment happened to me recently.
I was laying in our dark room, though it was by no means time for bed. The bugs were too bad to keep the light on. [Although they were still drawn to the light of my iPad and I'm concerned my screen is now permanently stained with bug guts.] Just when I think the Cambodian heat has gotten the best of me and my brain, I got sideswiped by a quote from the book I was reading:
"The memories that [people who had experienced tremendous loss] held most sacred were the ordinary, every day moments. It was clear that their most precious memories were forged from a collection of ordinary moments and their hope for others is that they would stop long enough to be grateful for those moments and the joy they bring." –Brene Brown, The Gift of Imperfection
I have had so much inner turmoil over the fact that so often what gets displayed on the race are the highlight moments. Those moments are a blast, don't get me wrong, but life isn't about the highlights. What's not pictured are the team times where for hours we just sit together and talk about past relationships and dreams and laugh over the silliest things. Or the card games that keep us sane during the blazing afternoon heat or the meals that are enjoyed day after day with ease–where no one is rushing, texting, or facebook surfing. And you know what, these are some of my favorite moments. They are moments that only my brain captures and that never make it into an overly edited Instagram. My friend told me the other day that she thinks I'm living such an exotic life. And at times maybe that's what it looks like from the internet but I promise you it's because no one is capturing the positive or constructive feedback, the laughter that comes from language barriers, the frustrations that heat and sleepless nights bring, or the deep, life-giving conversations that happen almost daily.
And what moments do I go back to the most when I'm missing home? The ordinary ones. The one where I'm sitting around with my friends sipping coffee in our pajamas. The one where my mom and I are eating dinner on the couch and my dad and I are needlessly shopping in outdoor stores. The one where my brothers and I go on dates and just share life in a way only siblings do. The one when I'm tucking the kids I babysit into bed and singing songs with them as they fall asleep. The ordinary moments are the ones that bring me the most joy.
So what in your life is ordinary? What is so often overlooked and labeled boring or mundane?
Because if you can find a way to step away, you'll see that what you are doing is extraordinary.
Don't let other peoples' highlight reels steal the joy of the ordinary. One day you're going to look back and see that it was all extraordinary. I hope that day is soon because life's too short to compare your life to anyone else's. Choose to find the ordinary extraordinary today.
And know there is a blonde hair, brown eyed girl in Cambodia thankful for the extraordinary ordinary moments that involve YOU. They're what bring me joy each passing day.
Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recognize how good things really are. –Marianne Williamson
