Ordinary: an early bicycle with a very large front wheel and small back wheel
There is nothing ordinary about that! Perhaps it was ordinary in its day, but things change, perceptions change, we learn, we grow and the ordinary becomes obsolete or untrue.
In fact, I don’t believe there is such thing as an ordinary life. When we live in a state of gratitude and wonder we see beyond what we have defined as ordinary to realize that it is all quite magical.
How is it that we have come to personally define what is ordinary and what is extraordinary or special? Is it through the expectations of ourselves? Perhaps our perceived expectations others have of us? Or is it a search for external happiness and acceptance?
I see so many people trying to escape from or avoid what they have defined as an ordinary life and I fear that in this struggle they are losing sight of or ignoring all that is extraordinary.
An extraordinary life does not manifest from the outside, it comes from within. What is ordinary to one person may be earth shattering to another.
Let’s look at two individuals: We’ll call person one Amy.
Amy lives in a modest apartment in a suburb of Chicago. It has all the modern conveniences and is in a nice neighborhood. She shares her modest apartment with her husband – the love of her life. Amy commutes each day by car to a job she enjoys and pays her a good salary. She has a group of friends that she gets together with regularly. She works out at a nice gym in town. She does some volunteer work. She travels periodically both for fun and for her job. Amy is in good health, has great medical benefits and access to any physician she may require.
And she is searching, searching for a life less ordinary. A life that’s exciting, that’s special, that sets her apart.
Meet Swarasati – Nine years ago, Swarasati’s husband abandoned her and their little girl, Lima. She worked as a servant to try to survive. Thankfully, Swarasati enrolled in a CARE program that helps destitute women save money and start businesses. Today, Swarasati sells sarees and purchased a goat that is pregnant with twins. With the money she has earned, Swarasati now has electricity for her one-room house and bought a fan and a bed. She can also afford better food and visits to the health clinic for herself, her daughter and her mother-in-law.
Would Swarasati see Amy’s life as ordinary? Pay attention today as you go through your ordinary day and be grateful for the magic in each moment. There is no such thing as ordinary.
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