"The most ordinary things, the most common and familiar, if we could see them in their true light, would turn out to be the grandest miracles."
Michel de Montaigne
"Let us come alive to the splendour that is all around us and see the beauty in ordinary things."
Thomas Merton
"The whole world is a series of miracles, but we're so used to them we call them ordinary things." -
Hans Christian Andersen
It's
easy to take the ordinary things in life for granted: drinking a cup of
tea, phoning a friend, flushing the toilet, stroking the cat, holding a
child's hand, reading a book, taking the next breath. How would you
feel if these things were suddenly taken away for ever? The things we take for granted may be those that other people long for. Looked afresh and notice that these things are in fact extraordinary
Poets Pat Schneider and Pablo Neruda have written about the wonder of ordinary things. Click here and here for their poems.
Click here for a short meditation (and transcript) on the ordinary being extraordinary.
Writing prompts:
- Make a list of all the 'ordinary' things in your life, then choose one and write about why it is also extraordinary.
- Write about the abundant nature of your life.
- Look with fresh eyes at the 'ordinary' and write about what is calling to be recognised in your life?
The feel of running water down my skin,
ReplyDeletefeels so nice and refreshing, but where did it begin?
We take it for granted, but how lucky we are;
it's dirty and harmful in countries afar.
We just turn the tap on and out it does pour.
We don't walk miles for it,that must be a chore.
It's wonderful and precious, the good it can do.
So all that's left for me to say is:
Water I thank you!
by Sam