In my Ally Oop workshop yesterday and the day before, we were reflecting upon the ordinary things in our lives that we care about. For me, on this particular day, this was: my pillow, my son’s bug collection, my yoga mat, my bike and a candle that had been given to me by a friend, lit with the fire of Bridget of Kildare.
Take my yoga mat – I bought it cheap and it’s a tad too small for me (I’m tall). It’s got some scratches where the cat was participating. But it carries huge significance to me because of the yoga practice I am committed to and what it does for me. And my bike. Again, not fancy. But those two wheels are capable of bringing me on local adventure and freedom. And it reminds me of my childhood.
I don’t take these things for granted, but I notice there are other things I do take for granted. Like me, for instance. I’m a human like the 8 billion others walking this planet. I expend great effort to try to be special and have accomplishments so that I’m not ‘ordinary.’
But ordinary is not meaningless.
Is it possible to live an ordinary and mojo-filled life? Absolutely. Can you have an ordinary life and be interesting? Absolutely. Can you live in an ordinary life and experience magic? Totally. And I would argue that that’s where all the gold is!
While this may seem like a cakewalk compared to the effort it takes to outperform others, it’s not fluff. It’s really hard. Being ordinary doesn’t mean being complacent or lacking meaningfulness. Being truly ordinary means accepting what is here now, with all of its imperfections and rocking it.
