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Friday, March 6, 2015

extraordinary

 
It is a daily exercise that of pausing long enough to not let life prove how fleeting it can be. Allowing myself to be amazed by simple, day to day everythings:
 
My son saying goodbye before heading off to a short overnight trip, wrapping his strong, long arms around me, not letting go. His deep voice, almost 15 now, repeating how he will miss me. How he loves me. The top of his dirty blond head as the car drives off. His unmade bed, his shoes and dirty clothes where they all seem to naturally fall. His iPod player smack in the middle of the bathroom floor, art displayed everywhere, even where one is intended to walk. His own sense of order. His world, without him for now.
 
My daughter running by, in a hurry to head off to school. A whiff of her trails behind, the bits of baby  that still inhabit her curls pierce me, leave me inhaling, in awe, a strange ache in my heart. Our drive to school. How, although spring is something we dread -it´s unforgiving heat, relentless rays of searing sun- it´s arrival brings unearthly beauty, many times overlooked. Jacaranda trees in every corner, releasing it´s flowers, the soft purple tapestry dressing the pavement we drive over. Our silly conversation, her soft cheeks smiling. Birds, letting wings and song flow freely before the heat sinks in. The sounds that accompany us, cool morning air on face and hands as we walk towards the school door. My drive back. The sense of my children still on me,  until I get home. Dirty dishes and schedules I choose to postpone as I sit, coffee in hand, to write my gratitude and immortalize today´s simple miracles.
 
 
"Real life isn´t out there in the future somewhere... Real life is now."
 
"It is the thirteen-year-old son who´s at odds with his best friend and takes his frustration out on me... It is the husband bent over the newspaper, glasses sliding down his nose, the dog with a tick in her ear... It is the apple picked from the tree and eaten by the side of the road, the quiet pond, my own stiff shoulders and aching feet... The breeze through the screen door, the early darkness."
 
"None of this was ever part of the plan, but life so rarely unfolds according to plan. Real life is just where we are, in this moment, and the only mistake we´ve made so far has been not to pause long enough or often enough to realize that even this odd in-between time is precious, fleeting and worthy of attention."
 
"There is nothing special going on here, just the daily comings and goings... But now I begin to view our time together differently, begin to see that stepping up to one´s life adventure doesn´t necessarily mean doing extraordinary things. It also means coming to understand that viewed in the right light, through the right eyes, everything is extraordinary."
 
The Gift of an ordinary Day
Katrina Kenison
Chapter 5
 

1 comment:

  1. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    ReplyDelete