The Ordinary

The other day I woke up, sans alarm, to a beautiful summer morning. So, I grabbed my 12 year old black lab, and we went for a walk (much to her delight). The sun was shining, light breeze, streets bustling... We then stopped at a local coffee shop and I got a non-fat iced chai latte, my favorite, and we walked home. I then did some errands, met a friend for lunch, wrapped a birthday present, danced to a couple songs on the radio, baked a GF cake, and then went to work, which happened to be a beautiful evening of lifeguarding.

It was a seemingly ordinary day, no huge plans, no lavish trips, just, ordinary.. but it was wonderful.

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a planner... I plan things in advance, have schedules, love to-do lists, and love to fill my day with activities....  but i've learned something about life..

The days we plan to be the best days, often are not the best days... instead, it is the seemingly ordinary days filled with ordinary activities, carrying no expectations, that turn out to be the best days.

Of course there are days that we plan to be fabulous and they are, our wedding day, birthdays, CHRISTMAS, the usual... but then there are the ordinary days when little things happen out of the blue, making them extraordinary.

The surprises, the un-expected, the lessons learned, the simple text from a friend, reminiscing, that moment when you look around and thank God for all you have in your life. Whether you are a religious person or not, everyone has those moments of awe where you are overwhelmed with happiness and contentment. This is a gift.

We can plan our days to be extraordinary, with the best restaurant, and the best shopping trip, adorable outfit, and the best people... but as great as those are, when we think back, the nights of laughter, the life conversations with friends and family, the smile from a stranger, the breathtaking snowfall, chats with Grandma, spending a day reading a good book.. those are the things we remember.

Those things are truly the extraordinary, they are God's way of telling us what matters in life. To be thankful and to love.

So plan the extraordinary, thats part of the fun of life! But don't forget the ordinary, because it's those ordinary days that often bring the most important things.

Happy Living!
~M