To be able to perceive with all my organs, to be able to hear and to listen, to taste, feel, sense, smell, is so much perceived as ordinary that this great gift itself is out of perception most of the time. To remind myself while listening, while eating or while touching that life offers this extraordinary gift to perceive and to communicate with you, with nature, with animals, with all which is so abundantly offered, with the wonder of all, and beyond, opens up to humble gratefulness towards life itself.
Every once in a while I tune into the deeper back story of what it takes to have something in my life– for example, the many people and processes and miles and resources that made it possible to pour coffee into my cup, which has its own story. That’s my way of doing what this question asks, as a way of remembering to be grateful for all of that. We have a lot of “amazingness” in our lives, no matter what they’re like, that we can take for granted. For me this question is about waking up and noticing once in a while.
My awareness deepens. Contemplating this Life here on this planet. The jaggedness, roughness, harshness, Love-filled, beauty, unpredictable nature of being here. The day-to-day little things can easily distract from the incredible dimensions of Love that we have access to in this realm and the reality that it does not end here. There is nothing ordinary about any of this.
Reorient my awareness towards joy, happiness, gratefulness. I noticed two sisters and their friends walking down the street just the other day while I was stopped at a red light. They were a few years apart and looked like the youngest was in grade school and the oldest in middle school. The youngest and her friends were skipping, running, jumping up to touch trees, etc. while the oldest and her friends were walking without noticing anything other than what was on the screens of their phones. Perfect example of the difference it makes and wonder what age does this happen to all of us?
The way I interpret this question is what how would I feel if the ordinary aspects of my life were viewed as extraordinary. For instance, walking from point A to point B is an ordinary activity for me. (I know that for many, it is not; I work in Physical Rehabilitation). But yesterday as I walked from my car in the parking lot towards the entrance of the mall, I was struck with an almost overwhelming sense of gratitude. I don’t have to think about balancing when I’m putting one foot in front of the other, my body automatically adjusts to the weight shift, my respiration adjusts according to what my body needs. You get the idea. It is extraordinary! I am so very grateful, so much more so for ‘ordinary’.
I think it would fill me with more gratitude; understanding deeply that each moment and each day is truly a gift and I should treat it as such rather than get caught up stressing over things that are really not very important at all. Striving towards this mindset is something that I’ve been working on for a while; I still have a long way to go!
I’m getting better at this. Much of my life is spent looking through a camera lens. So, I’m often looking at things in that way. Light, shadow, juxtaposition, and composition. I’m also keenly aware of my historical context. And gratitude is a big part of this. By doing these thing, I’m more engaged with this life. More present in this moment.
My opinion on this is “Life flows toward our hopes and dreams, and sometimes it flows away. In periods of flow, life is easy and full of meaning and movement. But when our life ebbs, we may be struggling against the current, fighting to get a grasp on what is”. We will experience both ordinary and extraordinary that is life!
A greater appreciation. And more gratitude for what I have and who I have in my life. This might be seen by others who would in turn pick up the same feelings ..
I wouldn’t want to do that. At all. I need those ordinary aspects to make those extraordinary aspects just that-extraordinary. If everything becomes extraordinary, it loses its place of being special, and that, for me, would be a sad thing…. it would be like having “specialness” all the time.
No thank you.
extraordinary and ordinary are both different, why would I treat one as the other when by definition they are different? makes no sense to me. So as an example, an ordinary spoon would become extraordinary if I am grateful for having it and perhaps was given by a special person, or for that matter, recognizing the person who made it.
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To be able to perceive with all my organs, to be able to hear and to listen, to taste, feel, sense, smell, is so much perceived as ordinary that this great gift itself is out of perception most of the time. To remind myself while listening, while eating or while touching that life offers this extraordinary gift to perceive and to communicate with you, with nature, with animals, with all which is so abundantly offered, with the wonder of all, and beyond, opens up to humble gratefulness towards life itself.
Every once in a while I tune into the deeper back story of what it takes to have something in my life– for example, the many people and processes and miles and resources that made it possible to pour coffee into my cup, which has its own story. That’s my way of doing what this question asks, as a way of remembering to be grateful for all of that. We have a lot of “amazingness” in our lives, no matter what they’re like, that we can take for granted. For me this question is about waking up and noticing once in a while.
My awareness deepens. Contemplating this Life here on this planet. The jaggedness, roughness, harshness, Love-filled, beauty, unpredictable nature of being here. The day-to-day little things can easily distract from the incredible dimensions of Love that we have access to in this realm and the reality that it does not end here. There is nothing ordinary about any of this.
Reorient my awareness towards joy, happiness, gratefulness. I noticed two sisters and their friends walking down the street just the other day while I was stopped at a red light. They were a few years apart and looked like the youngest was in grade school and the oldest in middle school. The youngest and her friends were skipping, running, jumping up to touch trees, etc. while the oldest and her friends were walking without noticing anything other than what was on the screens of their phones. Perfect example of the difference it makes and wonder what age does this happen to all of us?
Reminds me of the adage, “Youth is wasted on the young.” 🙂
The way I interpret this question is what how would I feel if the ordinary aspects of my life were viewed as extraordinary. For instance, walking from point A to point B is an ordinary activity for me. (I know that for many, it is not; I work in Physical Rehabilitation). But yesterday as I walked from my car in the parking lot towards the entrance of the mall, I was struck with an almost overwhelming sense of gratitude. I don’t have to think about balancing when I’m putting one foot in front of the other, my body automatically adjusts to the weight shift, my respiration adjusts according to what my body needs. You get the idea. It is extraordinary! I am so very grateful, so much more so for ‘ordinary’.
I think it would fill me with more gratitude; understanding deeply that each moment and each day is truly a gift and I should treat it as such rather than get caught up stressing over things that are really not very important at all. Striving towards this mindset is something that I’ve been working on for a while; I still have a long way to go!
Each moment would become a feast of miraculous sights, sounds and experiences. Gratitude is my “ticket” to ordinary miracles.
For me that nurtures gratitude.
I’m getting better at this. Much of my life is spent looking through a camera lens. So, I’m often looking at things in that way. Light, shadow, juxtaposition, and composition. I’m also keenly aware of my historical context. And gratitude is a big part of this. By doing these thing, I’m more engaged with this life. More present in this moment.
My opinion on this is “Life flows toward our hopes and dreams, and sometimes it flows away. In periods of flow, life is easy and full of meaning and movement. But when our life ebbs, we may be struggling against the current, fighting to get a grasp on what is”. We will experience both ordinary and extraordinary that is life!
This is beautiful, Robin Ann. Thank you🙏
A greater appreciation. And more gratitude for what I have and who I have in my life. This might be seen by others who would in turn pick up the same feelings ..
I wouldn’t want to do that. At all. I need those ordinary aspects to make those extraordinary aspects just that-extraordinary. If everything becomes extraordinary, it loses its place of being special, and that, for me, would be a sad thing…. it would be like having “specialness” all the time.
No thank you.
Everything becomes precious.
extraordinary and ordinary are both different, why would I treat one as the other when by definition they are different? makes no sense to me. So as an example, an ordinary spoon would become extraordinary if I am grateful for having it and perhaps was given by a special person, or for that matter, recognizing the person who made it.
Perhaps I would experience increased awareness, gratitude and joy. I will give it a try.