Ordinary Days

Buona Pasqua, everyone! After a Lenten social media fast, I am back.

When I decided to step away for a while I had hoped to use this time for creativity and writing projects, but having now emerged on the other side I can honestly say the exact opposite happened: no creativity, no writing. Oh, I kept a running list of writing prompts, and I added a few bad poems to my files of very bad poetry, but serious writing? It did not happen.

So what, you ask, did I do during this time?

I lived wholly and completely in the moment, embracing the Ordinary Days of working at Angevines, cooking wholesome meals, and baking bread. Joe and I watched The Chosen series. I took long walks along the canal, hosted Book Club, and did a lot of spring cleaning—purged closets, relined kitchen shelves, washed baseboards, and reorganized our pantry. I prayed daily, sometimes by the light of candle in the darkness before dawn, and sometimes while I was dusting a ceiling fan or making a grocery list. I read a lot of books and listened to John Denver songs.

Ordinary Days. Nothing earth-shattering. No spiritual awakening or dramatic transformation.

There were times when I felt guilty about not writing, about not doing more, and I worried that I was using routine and simplicity as an escape. But here is the truth: I relished the quiet and peace of those Ordinary Days. I found spiritual sustenance in quiet moments and peace in mundane tasks. 

To be sure, now that I have disclosed all this I need to backtrack because in the midst of those Ordinary Days we flew to San Francisco due to a perfect storm of Timothy’s spring break and a work trip for Joe. For three non-Ordinary Days, while Joe did engineering stuff, Timothy and I hiked Muir Woods, walked over the Golden Gate Bridge, and hopped on and off cable cars while exploring the city.  A little extraordinary in what was mostly an ordinary time. 

Here was my takeaway this Lent: Life does not always have be about something; sometimes, it just is. Life does not always mean searching for the next great entertainment; after all, a sunset is offered every evening. And we do not always have to be doing something meaningful, or grand.

 Because sometimes, cleaning out a closet is important, too.