Finding Delight in the Ordinary

The modern world often bashes us over the head with stimuli-- flashy videos, faster-than-light communications, instant gratification on everything from Facebook posts to e-books that magically appear on our computer screens moments after paying for them with PayPal. What happened to the ability to savor the ordinary routines in our lives, the everyday tasks that calm, soothe and provide continuity from one day to the next?

Our day begins at 5:15 a.m. I'm a “morning person” but 5:15 is brutal, even in summer when it's beginning to get light outside at that hour. August in Vermont means foggy mornings that break into brilliant, sunny days that hint of autumn. As I looked out my bathroom window today, the full moon was still high over my woods, a silvery disk above the hill, just beginning to wane. Its simple beauty was touching and the sight of it felt like a blessing. I smiled and was about to turn away when a hint of movement caught my eye. Deer. Four of them, moving purposefully through the tall grass, looking for who-knows-what to munch. I stayed for several minutes watching them graze, and then they began to frisk about with each other, almost dancing, as the fawn made little mock runs at the does, dodging around our apple trees. It was magical. I called to Douglas to come see them and we both stood at the window, looking out at the little wild visitors who live so simply and invisibly just steps from our back door. Sometimes our civilized lives seem such a burden-- bills to pay, social media to catch up on, tasks to plan and execute, projects to keep in motion. My goal today is to live in the moment and just find delight in the ordinary.

Photo by Bob Von Bruns

 

 

Photo by Bob Cheesman – This isn’t my backyard
but it looks just like the scene this morning