Finding Magic in the Mundane

Do you ever feel like resting after a long week or going through the daily motions of adult life somehow feels wrong? Like it's futile, boring, a complete waste of time!

Like there is something else you should be doing?

I should get out more

I should hit that trendy spot

I should socialize more

I should get married

I SHOULD do more, be more - because, YOLO!

Is there a nagging feeling in the back of your mind that you can’t quite put a finger on. An urge to chase the thrill - all while being exhausted from keeping up with life, leaving you in a perpetual state of FOMO?

Ask me. I would know. I lived in that space for a long time. Until, someone asked me a very simple question: “But, do you even want to do this?”

It is strange how easy it is to miss the difference between ‘want’ and ‘should’ - especially with how loud the social media, social expectations and the world can often get. 

But sometimes, all it takes is a moment, a pause, to notice it. And when I did, something in me shifted.

The truth is, I did not want to pursue most of those ‘shoulds’. The things that made me happy were around me all along. I had just been so distracted with this “idea” about what fun should look like, that I had labeled these precious little moments as ‘mundane’, ’boring’...

Yeah sure, swimming with sharks or doing cartwheels while skydiving can be fun. But there’s also –

Immense beauty to quiet mornings. 

To the aroma of freshly brewed coffee that fills your apartment.

To have a chance to enjoy each sip of your warm beverage without rush. 

There’s comfort in having a long conversation with family or texting a friend​​​​ to actually check in (No! forwarding reels does not count).

There’s a therapeutic element to cleaning your space or cooking a comfort meal that feels like a warm hug from home.

There’s the joy of slipping into bed with freshly laundered sheets.

And there are days when the shower temperature hits the right spot.

Then there are little luxuries that get overlooked, like –

Dropping money on fresh produce, baked goods or flowers at the local Farmers Market.

Having indoor plants (well, whether or not they’re alive is a conversation I don’t want to get into. But anyways..)

Driving to the mountains while listening to your favorite music.

Choosing to stay in and rest without guilt.

I can keep going on and on…..

These aren’t grand, Instagram-worthy moments. But they’re real and they’re enough. 

Maybe the real shift we are looking for isn’t to figure out what we should be doing. But, rather take a moment and ask ourselves - ‘Do I actually want this?’

This isn’t to say that I no longer have ambition - goals to achieve, places I want to go or finer things I want to acquire. But I want to work towards them without invalidating where I am today. I want to enjoy the present without the rush of chasing the next big thing.

Because, if we quiet the noise - even just a little bit - we might actually see that, we might already be living the life we once dreamed of.

And that in itself is a blessing to be cherished.