Here in the Mundane

Every weekday morning, the garbage truck comes to empty our apartment complex’s dumpster. We have the perfect view to watch the act take place from my son’s window. The sound of the truck approaching stirs something in his little body, and he makes a beeline to watch the truck’s arrival. He stands at the window, little hands and face pressed hard on the glass.

Most mornings the driver notices the little face smushed up against the window pane, and he gives the truck horn a honk and waves. When the truck finishes its duty and drives away, my son watches it go. His whole body faces its direction even when he can no longer see it. Once he’s satisfied, he crawls away onto other adventures, knowing we’ll complete this same routine all over again tomorrow.

As a stay at home mom, our life is often a replay of activities and chores with the occasional visitor or appointment. I make my son meals at the same time each day, his naps run on schedule, and his bottles are planned out. We run on monotony, and routine is our way of life. Some days we yearn for life “out there”, away from the simple and ordinary. But most days, we thrive on this simple way of life. To us, our life is a journey to be fully embraced with excitement and fervor. 

Reclaiming Excitement for the Ordinary

When I was a child in central Iowa, my heart was drawn toward the ordinary, the things people often overlooked. Old stuffed animals were friends, small trinkets were toys I used to create dance numbers and formations, and raspberries picked from my grandparents’ bush were the most divine fruit of all. Jumping across hay bales was a race to win, and camping out in the backyard was the best way to camp. But most of all, I loved rocks and the stories they told.

My rock collection began with a few specimens from my backyard. My parents were supportive of this strange hobby (bless them), and my dad ordered some fancy rocks online for me. I remember the day I received them in the mail. Each was individually marked in plastic bags—volcanic rock, sandstone, quartzite, and obsidian. There were even a few gemstones included. I bought a display case and immediately got to work at labeling them. I even got to display my rock collection at the local library for a month, which was a huge deal to me as a little collector. 

As the years went by, I completely forgot about my rock collection. My stuffed animals and little trinkets were packed away in storage. The raspberry bush was cut down and the backyard tent put away out of sight, forgotten. My excitement about ordinary things was forgotten as well. Adulthood hits, life gets busy, and we forget about this joy we experienced as children over the most mundane things. But I’ve started to walk into this excitement again by living life with my son.

Here in the Mundane

My son makes me see the world for what it could be—our very own wilderness to be explored. He is an adventurer forging his own way, a voyager setting his own sails. He never views our life as ordinary; the life he leads is one of curiosity and open-handedness.

My son’s curiosity toward life brings out the brave within me. With him, I’m able to see the opportunities in front of me for creativity and risk-taking. He helps me to see the life that exists in the ordinary. My excitement over the most ordinary of things is being reawakened. I’m seeing the opportunities in front of me in this simple, stay-at-home-mom life.

For here in the mundane, we are better able to be present in the here and now. It’s in this place of ordinary living that we are given the opportunity to stand steadfast, trusting that God has us here for a purpose.

Here in the mundane, we have the opportunity to dig deeper into what God is doing. By remaining present and fully embracing where we are, we become more aware of the ways that God is moving in our midst. He has given us this opportunity for a reason: To find ways to glorify and serve him right where we are and to become aware of his movement in our lives.

Here in the mundane, we are free to be curious about life as we know it. When life slows down, it can become monotonous and boring. But what if we looked at this slower pace as an opportunity to become curious about this world and its intricacies? A slower paced life is not boring or repetitive, it’s a place to ask questions and find answers to what we’ve always wondered about.

Here in the mundane, we can see with a greater vision, opening our eyes to the magnificence unfolding before us. When we embrace present-moment living, are aware of God’s movement and our place within it, and live curiously, our eyes are opened to the wonder that surrounds us. If our children’s eyes are opened to the beauty and awe within this world–even in something as ordinary as a rock collection or the garbage truck–why are our eyes glued shut? Let’s open our eyes to the opportunities that lay before us.

Living It Out

While I can say that adventure awaits us in these ordinary days, it’s a much different thing to truly live it out. How can we truly live as if there is excitement here in the ordinary? How can we reignite our curiosity about the world around us? Here are the ways that I am learning to thrive amongst the monotony:

I’m shifting my perspective on the ordinary.

Sometimes in life all it takes is a perspective shift to go from viewing life as boring and repetitive to exciting and unexpected. Each day I remind myself of the privilege I have to live this life in this time and place. Many others are not as blessed as I have been to be able to stay at home with my son during this pandemic. Shifting my mindset to one of feeling blessed for this life helps me to find the blessings in the mundane.

I’m choosing to remain curious about life.

My son’s curiosity about the world around him inspires me to remain curious about mine. This is an active choice each day to ask questions of God and look for his answers. It’s a choice to seek understanding while also seeking out opportunities for growth. Everyday I put on an attitude of thankfulness for these days and a spirit of curiosity, open-handedly looking at the world anew daily.

I’m exploring the world around me.

Every little thing is something to be explored. My son is showing me this truth in the way that he sits in awe of the wind blowing wildly through his hair or reaches out and tries to catch it. Exploration is in his nature, and in trying to keep up I’ve become an explorer myself. 

I’m reclaiming excitement about the ordinary.

This sense of joy toward the world was part of my being as a child, and it deserves to be a part of my being now. Choosing to be excited and expectant each morning allows us to find goodness in every single day. I’m choosing to reclaim this joy I once held by looking for adventure at each turn, remembering that the little things matter, and finding joy in these simple days.

A Life Well Lived

Monotony and repetitiveness of life does not mean we have a boring life; it means we have a life that is fully lived-in and well-refined. The repetitive nature of life refines us into people better suited for the journey. And a fully lived-in life is one that has been defined by curiosity, excitement, and exploration.

So this morning, as I watch Wesley get up from playing to crawl over to the window to greet the garbage truck, I thank God that this is our life. As repetitive and ordinary as it is, I know that these days matter. This ministry matters. And there’s freedom in choosing to show up excited, present, and wide-eyed about the opportunities in every single day. It is a privilege and this is a life well lived.