how to have more spectacular ordinary moments
spectacular ordinary moments: a recap
the other day my daughter { who is on the fast track of adulting right now } came over. she's been living on her own for the last 3 months, struggling but still doing her thing.
when she comes over i get all giggly and stuff because 1) there's more estrogen in the house, albeit only momentarily, 2) i really love hanging out with her and 3) she gets me { see #1 in this sentence }.
don't you love it when your folks get you?
...cause living with a 15 yr old smack dab in the middle of male hormonal hell { did i write that? ...YES i did! } and a hubby who, without being intentional, is sometimes very decidedly male { there goes #1 again } can make a girl, who definitely appreciates her feminine side, so batty that reverting to my giggly phase when my girl's around somehow lessons the impact of said overflow of testosterone.
so said hubby and i decided the four of us would go out to dinner instead of cooking and that decision inspired what i like to call a "spectacular ordinary moment".
we talked plenty & laughed at jokes only our family would know, with some howling at one point that i had to remind them there were other patrons around who might not appreciate that what we thought was so spectacularly funny was really not.
after writing in my journal about this experience i remembered a post i wrote about ways to bring in more spectacular ordinary moments and i thought i'd share it again with you cause reminders like this need repeating. enjoy!
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how can you turn your ordinary day into something more spectacular?
here are 3 ways you can use to raise the ordinary factor....
1. pay attention
that’s right. 1st….become more aware. ever so simple right? it can be the most transformational yet, at the same time, be so darn elusive. but as you go about each day be mindful of your presence, be mindful of your surroundings, be mindful of your thoughts, be mindful of others.
in this one activity the ordinary we encounter can become the profound.
e.g. for 5-10 minutes sit and watch a child play. i mean really watch. observe how the outside world has little bearing on their interactions with their toys, the dog or a cardboard box. they are keenly and only aware of themselves and this object that has their attention.
they are more aware in those moments of their intentions and attention but most likely are clueless to this because they don’t have the reasoning capabilities just yet. as an adult however, you do. becoming more aware is a skill you can master.
2. let the little things go
things get our goat. they stick in our craw sometimes. they try our last bit of patience and, before you know it our energy is sucked dry by something so inconsequential that if you look back you’ll wonder why the thing bothered you so in the 1st place.
let go little bird, let it go. in choosing to let the small things go you open up all sorts of bigger possibilities { ahhh….. } and allow for more moments of awareness, the kind of awareness that can change your day from bummer gloomy to outright sunshiny & bright or peaceful & content.
for those of us who have not yet made it a practice of letting go { me included sometimes. shocker right? lol }, it’s hard to push past that stick-in-craw stuff but …and a BIG but here.
but being concerned with the whys and hows of any given situation, the he said/she saids that go on not to mention all the “crazy” people who you have no control over anyway, all of this is sooo darn counterintuitive to being aware and living a more mindful life.
take a B R E A T H right here. yes! { plus you’ll miss the darn beauty of those sweet ordinary moments }.
3. create space for extraordinary to happen
by damn this is a good one!
in a nut shell this means Living. In. JOY. nah…you’re not walking around with a silly happy grin plastered on your face, nor does it mean denying the reality of a situation { sometimes we need to accept and move on people! }.
making space for the extraordinary in your ordinary day means being real with yourself and keeping an open mind despite the crazies that can occur.
if all you ever do is complain or see things from a downward perspective then imagine what you’re telling the Universe. ick! instead, be open for the possibility of extraordinary to occur. and then when it does, smile, say thank you, enjoy your special moment and then tuck it in your pocket { or write it in your journal }.
3 small steps that can bring more awareness to you everyday life. how brilliant is that!
plus, don’t forget to join the revolution below….the JOURNALING revolution!
toodles,
G
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