From Ordinary to Extraordinary
I have had a lot of things to think about this week and the phrase that keeps crossing my mind is "ordinary to extraordinary".
Yesterday, I had a chance to spend some time in the afternoon with Ben in the back yard. He asked me to jump on the trampoline and, for once, I decided to join in on the fun instead of be buried in my chores. The day was sunny and warm, the leaves were (and still are) a beautiful color. The air smells of autumn. We laid on our backs and tried to imagine what the clouds looked like but, truly, there weren't any clouds to speak of so we really had to use our imagination on the one little wispy puff of cloud that there was in the north east. We jumped on the trampoline and made up challenges and giggled and laughed our way through the time we spent together. Lots of hugs later, we had exhausted our imagination and (my) energy and the normal day resumed.
Yesterday, it seemed rather ordinary to do that.
Today, it seems extraordinary. The sunny day. The fresh giggles. The free time with no other demands gasping for attention.
Yesterday Andrew helped me dig all of the carrots out of the garden so that he could work on his BMX bike trail through my garden (Lord help me). He worked hard with me and we sat together at supper talking about stuff and sharing some laughs over silly things that neither one of us remembers today.
Yesterday, it seemed rather ordinary to communicate like that with him.
Today, it seems extraordinary. The easy laughter, the companionship with my maturing 12 year old, as we worked together and talked and shared.
This weekend we celebrated my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. Many things seemed to jump from ordinary to extraordinary that day. We prepared an ordinary meal, homemade. People gave many compliments on the food that seemed ordinary to us and somehow became extraordinary to the guests. We took an ordinary facility, and with a few golden touches, made it into an extraordinary reception room. Ordinary people came and filled the ordinary reception room and all of a sudden we were in the midst of a very extraordinary event.
And then there was the ordinary couple that we were there to honor.
I grew up thinking that my life was very ordinary. Normal. Maybe we even headed slightly to the left of center, being a simple farming family. We didn't HAVE much. We worked hard. Our parents were home every day - normal, right? We always had plenty of food, didn't everybody? We didn't fight but that must be normal, too. We grew up and left home and maintained very happy, loving relationships with our parents. We have always wanted to be with them. They seemed to want to be with us.
Mom and dad retired and had more time together. How will they cope with that?, I wondered. Hmm, they seem to be loving it. They have a never ending list of things to do together that they enjoy. They enjoy each other's company. Last year, when neither one of us could make it "home" for Christmas on Dec. 25, they said "we have each other, we'll be fine!" Is this normal?
And with a few simple glances back at our humble roots over the course of preparing this celebration, I have realized that this couple of 50 years is rather extraordinary. I see that they provided me with an extraordinary childhood. I see that they have exemplified an extraordinary marriage relationship. I see that they have given me an extraordinary upbringing. They have instilled in me an extraordinary belief in lengthy, HAPPY, extraordinary marriages.
It seems that I have been extraordinarily blessed with my heritage - and there's nothing more that an ordinary girl like me can say about that!! ;)
Ordinary to extraordinary - it's all how you look at it!
Yesterday, I had a chance to spend some time in the afternoon with Ben in the back yard. He asked me to jump on the trampoline and, for once, I decided to join in on the fun instead of be buried in my chores. The day was sunny and warm, the leaves were (and still are) a beautiful color. The air smells of autumn. We laid on our backs and tried to imagine what the clouds looked like but, truly, there weren't any clouds to speak of so we really had to use our imagination on the one little wispy puff of cloud that there was in the north east. We jumped on the trampoline and made up challenges and giggled and laughed our way through the time we spent together. Lots of hugs later, we had exhausted our imagination and (my) energy and the normal day resumed.
Yesterday, it seemed rather ordinary to do that.
Today, it seems extraordinary. The sunny day. The fresh giggles. The free time with no other demands gasping for attention.
Yesterday Andrew helped me dig all of the carrots out of the garden so that he could work on his BMX bike trail through my garden (Lord help me). He worked hard with me and we sat together at supper talking about stuff and sharing some laughs over silly things that neither one of us remembers today.
Yesterday, it seemed rather ordinary to communicate like that with him.
Today, it seems extraordinary. The easy laughter, the companionship with my maturing 12 year old, as we worked together and talked and shared.
This weekend we celebrated my parent's 50th wedding anniversary. Many things seemed to jump from ordinary to extraordinary that day. We prepared an ordinary meal, homemade. People gave many compliments on the food that seemed ordinary to us and somehow became extraordinary to the guests. We took an ordinary facility, and with a few golden touches, made it into an extraordinary reception room. Ordinary people came and filled the ordinary reception room and all of a sudden we were in the midst of a very extraordinary event.
And then there was the ordinary couple that we were there to honor.
I grew up thinking that my life was very ordinary. Normal. Maybe we even headed slightly to the left of center, being a simple farming family. We didn't HAVE much. We worked hard. Our parents were home every day - normal, right? We always had plenty of food, didn't everybody? We didn't fight but that must be normal, too. We grew up and left home and maintained very happy, loving relationships with our parents. We have always wanted to be with them. They seemed to want to be with us.
Mom and dad retired and had more time together. How will they cope with that?, I wondered. Hmm, they seem to be loving it. They have a never ending list of things to do together that they enjoy. They enjoy each other's company. Last year, when neither one of us could make it "home" for Christmas on Dec. 25, they said "we have each other, we'll be fine!" Is this normal?
And with a few simple glances back at our humble roots over the course of preparing this celebration, I have realized that this couple of 50 years is rather extraordinary. I see that they provided me with an extraordinary childhood. I see that they have exemplified an extraordinary marriage relationship. I see that they have given me an extraordinary upbringing. They have instilled in me an extraordinary belief in lengthy, HAPPY, extraordinary marriages.
It seems that I have been extraordinarily blessed with my heritage - and there's nothing more that an ordinary girl like me can say about that!! ;)
Ordinary to extraordinary - it's all how you look at it!
will you stop making me cry??
ReplyDeletethis is beautiful! Again! Or to use your words, "extraordinary!"
Elaine, I'm not "making" you cry - you must be tired?
ReplyDelete;)
Thanks.