The last five months have been anything but ordinary. There have been very few things about life that have been commonplace, standard, or status quo since March 13th. In fact, I would label the last five months as containers of distinction, each holding their own unique qualities. I know where your mind is going… frustration, boredom, disappointment, sad, worn out! But, that is not where I am going. After some reading and reflecting, I would dare to say the last five months have held some things that are quite extraordinary. They have been containers that have held regular (as in frequency, not normalcy- just wanted to clarify) family dinners, bike rides and hikes, baseball in the cul-de-sac, practice driving time, extra soccer training in the backyard, family game nights, slow mornings on the deck with my coffee and evenings lingering around the fire, talking, laughing and listening to music, cooking and baking lessons, laundry lessons, time- time to breathe and connect. TIME-Just the six of us.
***
I don’t know about you, but the majority of the circumstances that the Pandemic has gifted me (yes, I said “gifted”) have made me realize that my life, my people, and my own self are anything but ordinary. I have been re-awakened to the specialness of simply being. Being with myself. Being with God. Being with Matt. Being with Anna. Being with Jack. Being with Abby. Being with Maggie. And, yes Being with Max. Just being. All the forced time at home, and rather empty family calendar, has afforded me and my people time together. Time we would have never had or taken. Time we will never get back. Time we will never forget. As Nicholas Sparks (don’t laugh, ladies….you know you love his sappy love stories too!) would say, “Sometimes the most ordinary things can be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people.”
***
Our time in “Pandemic Prison” is quickly coming to an end. Matt and I are excitedly headed back to teach our classrooms of kids; our own children are headed back to school and their sports seasons are gearing up, and it seems as if everyone is emerging out of their cocoons of life, ready to fly. It will be so easy to slip back into the rut of routines and schedules; the same ‘ol same ‘ol. So, I am setting an intention to keep finding joy in the ordinary. If I’ve learned anything in the last five months it is that there’s a lot of beauty in the ordinary things of life. And it’s easy, and it’s ordinary to love the good life, the happy life, the struggle-free life, the beautiful life. But, it’s more beautiful and rewarding to love the ordinary life. The ups and downs, the highs and the lows. I believe the ordinary people, activities, moments, and thoughts in our lives are God’s way of showing up for us and in us. I believe that struggles and hardships prepare us ordinary people for extraordinary futures.
***
So, if you feel inadequate, frustrated, weak, done, or discouraged by the last five months, be encouraged. If you feel overwhelmed because you've been trying so hard to do something great for your family, your friends, yourself, or God, give it a rest.
***
“If you want to be used by God, lean into your ordinariness, and ask Him to work in you. Then watch what extraordinary things He will do through you!” (Pete Briscoe) And, above all else, listen to God’s word. Trust His word. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” (Proverbs 3:5)
***
And always, always remember the best life, the most extraordinary moments are found in ordinary, everyday life.
Comments