There are things in our lives that we know, and we know that we know them – and yet, once in a while, something happens that reminds us about the truth of those things in a breathtaking way. Yes? With me so far….hate to lose you with the first sentence itself!
My insight and the topic of my blog is the miraculousness of the mundane – simply put, the awesomeness of the ordinary stuff that happens in our life quite easily! I have three instances from the last month that just squeezed my heart with joy so intense that it hurt a bit – really.
- On the 10th of September, we became primary humans to 2 puppies – a boy & a girl – who pooped, barfed and licked their way into our hearts. And please note, we are rational, non-parent adults who normally keep a healthy distance from all little ones (human or other species) – so this very ordinary love that happens to people every day has been a revelation for me. Those 2 little stinkers who are always hungry, chew everything, eat mud and have the most heart melting eyes have turned me into a gushing lunatic. Be warned – puppy videos on social media might happen any day now!
- Since the 12th of August, my dad has been unwell – really unwell, Big C maybe unwell! And as I see him struggle with the changes in his body and his mortality, I find myself seeing him totally for the first time. Not just as my father, and how he served me in that role, I see him as a person. I see his life, his pain, his struggle to find his identity and to be successful in his life & his relationships – and I discover a love for him that is deep and yet detached. I am able to love him free of any expectation towards me, as a father, as a provider or role model – I am able to love him for all his strengths and his foibles too. Again, very common stance, I can honestly say that I love my father!
- I have been walking between 5-6 kms on a treadmill about 4 times a week since March this year – every day, the trainer despairs that I do too much cardio and not enough weights. He only reinforces what I read on social media and in the news – cardio has diminished returns in sculpting and toning the body. And yet I persist – because I know for sure that at the end of each of those “walks”, I feel incredibly good inside. My mind chatter calms down, I can focus better on my tasks, I have few food cravings and I sleep really well – all this personal “evidence” holds more weight than “expert-speak” and so I persist. Ayurveda has been propounding it for thousands of years and I can say confidently now that walking up a sweat keeps me well – body, mind & soul!
Hope you take a moment today and pay attention to what might have given you joy recently – some people call that being grateful or counting your blessings. I am sticking with my version – finding the miracle in the mundane!