Joy in the Ordinary
Most of us often do the same things everyday –we develop a routine. Life can become pretty mundane, and this is what makes time fly by. This can be a good thing if we have to do some tasks we don’t like or get through hard times – routine can help us to restore and get balanced again. However, routine can also make life boring and lack spontaneity.
There are a lot of beautiful things that happen around us, but we’re often too busy to notice or we’re seeking something more. It’s sad when we immediately go to addictions to fill up our attention or time. TV, alcohol, sugar, social media, Internet, are all fine within moderation. However, when we depend on these things for fulfillment, we often find ourselves a bit emptier than we were previously.
Finding interesting things is not hard – there are amazing things all around us. Nature and children can teach us a lot about being in the moment. When I take care of my baby daughter, I notice how amazed she is by the smallest and newest things. Even just playing with a spoon can bring her joy. I’m not saying that we need to be that easily amused, but it’s a good idea to enjoy the little things in life.
We often forget how incredibly designed and complex this world is. Just the fact that we exist is mind blowing – think about the fact that you beat out millions of other sperm just to be here. Have you thought about whether another sperm beat you out - would you still be here, but with a different body? How connected and separate are the different parts of our physical and non-physical makeup? Where does your spirit and consciousness come from? That’s pretty nuts.
Life is hard and it can be boring at times, but when we take care of ourselves and listen to what our body needs, it gets pretty exciting and we feel confident. Have you noticed how people seem happier when you seem happy? People also seem more negative and dismissive when we’re down. We need to get into a mindset that cultivates positivity in order to keep the momentum going. The hardest part about depression is breaking the mindset and the inertia that perpetuates the problem.
I don’t know about clinical depression and can’t speak objectively on it, but I believe there’s a lot we can do to fix ourselves and make life enjoyable. The larger the darkness in our lives just means that we have a higher potential for happiness. It may sound cheesy, but honestly, you don’t know how good you have it until you see how bad things can really be.
Enjoy the reading? Please comment or check out: Family & Connection.
