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Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Relishing Day-to-Day Life



"
To live is so startling it leaves little time
for anything else.

~Emily Dickinson

That's what I'm doing today—relishing. I live a very ordinary life, even more so than Amy Krouse Rosenthal, author of Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life, a book I adore. This week I am relishing my daily life even more than usual, acutely aware of how precious each day is.

I love to do Three Beautiful Things posts every now and then, and here's the thing: it's always the simplest things that are so beautiful. Having a friend die makes everything stand out in full color, even on these gray, rainy days we've been having. This is what I do; this is who I am. These simple things have made up the bulk of the past 15 years, and I relish them with a grateful heart. Because really, you just never know.

Loading the dishwasher.


A little game-playing before breakfast.


A little sunshine after days and days of rain. (Yes, Donna, I have proof.)


Loads of laundry.


Chasing a cat off the piano.


Doing school.


Fixing lunch.

Hugging and kissing my little boy.


Connecting and reconnecting, by computer, phone, and cell.


Grocery shopping.


Even a messy room, evidence of a child who loves to play—and who has plenty of toys.

Here's the thing: you can look at any one of those things as an annoyance. What? More loads of laundry? "Kids, pick up the horrible mess in your rooms!" I hate grocery shopping!

Or you can choose to relish the day-to-day life. You pick.




19 comments:

  1. What a great post and a nice reminder, Sarah. I'm off to do the dishes with a different attitude than I had just a couple of minutes ago.

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  2. What a good idea :o)
    Happy New Year
    xc

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  3. Sarah, you lend such beautiful inspiration at the perfect times. ((hugs))

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  4. I love it. A great reminder for those of us who get bogged down sometimes with what we think is the monotony of our daily life.

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  5. Thank you for the reminder that every day is precious and that the little things in those days are too!

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  6. thanks for the post, sarah. i get so caught up in the facebook thing and past memories, that i sometime forget to enjoy my life here and now! my goal this week is to be present. to live in each moment and see the beauty in the mundane.

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  7. Thank you for your wonderful post. Sometimes it is hard to relish the mundane or daunting tasks. Thanks for helping me see and appreciate more!

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  8. Sweetie, you are so right. Thanks for the wake up call.:) I am so sorry about your friend... Lori

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  9. isn't that why each of us that chooses home does so? sent you an e-mail with a link to the house we put an offer in on, so you can see what we are looking forward to relishing in two weeks

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  10. This was great. . . a good reminder that the mundane is a blessing.

    Now off to exercise and do laundry.

    WHEEEEEE!

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  11. Ah...you make me want to actually leave my computer and try these things. LOL!

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  12. Thanks for the reminder! It is easy to get caught up in life and forget to relish!
    oh-and Sam and I are proud you have a Mac! Now we just need Donna to see the light! :)

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  13. I can't forget that the Lord has blessed me with ability to do all these mundane, daily tasks. I could be much worse off!

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  14. Excellent post. Excellent reminder on what we should be truly thankful for. Great perspective. Thanks for sharing.

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  15. What a poignant reminder of what really matters in life.

    I want to let you know I have given you a very deserving reward over on my blog!

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  16. Not sure how I even got to your blog - I'm a little ADD so I often follow links and forget where I started and I think that's how I ended up here! Anyway - you may not remember me, but we went to Milligan together and Randy and I actually grew up in the same church. I have been reading your blog since I landed in Small World a few weeks ago and I just want to tell you that you inspire me. Often I have had the thought "I just want to sit down and talk with her over a cup of coffee." I specifically love your transparency and your depth even when talking about the simplest things in life. Great stuff. Thanks for putting it out there for me to "stumble" upon. Blessings to you and your family.

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  17. Thanks, everyone. Mrs. D., thanks for the reward. Kelly, of course I remember you. I even have a wonderful prom picture of you and Randy. It is one of my favorites! Click on Angie and "dooalot" (Laura Bennett) and visit them, too, if you haven't!

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  18. Aunt Sarah,

    I love this post-I'm the same way, I love it when a house looks like it's lived in-the little things that are a part of your day, part of family life- some of my favorites are-seeing the kids toys in random places, like I found a piece of toy cheese in my purse today, when our puppy does hilarious (but naughty) things, and lots of kids' drawings everywhere!

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  19. Ah, what a great post and a wonderful reminder!

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