Nothing is ordinary
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle” says Albert Einstein. I believe everything is a miracle and weather we see them as miracles or ignore them as ordinary stuff depends on our worldview or perspective of life. Even though it is practically difficult to pause, gaze and admire every little miracle in our life’s journey, the moment we stop wondering at the so called “ordinary miracles” of life we probably cease to enjoy life as it is supposed to be enjoyed.
I sometimes wonder if there is anything truly ordinary in life, because even the most ordinary things in life have an element of mystery and wonder within themselves. For a new born baby almost everything seems to be a wonder in this world, the ability to touch, feel, hear, see, taste…etc. But as we grow older we tend to take many of these abilities in life for granted because we are often driven by the so called “bigger dreams” and “greater accomplishments” in life. A few days ago I was walking in a park when I overheard an elderly person saying ‘I am just happy I am able to touch and smell these flowers’. I did not understand the intensity of this statement till I walked closer to find out that he was almost blind.
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle”- Albert Einstein.
I paused for a moment and wondered why I was not able to experience the miracle in the flower this elderly person was enjoying. I guess his inability to see developed a greater appreciation for his ability to smell and touch, where as in my case since I could see, smell and touch I just took all of these abilities for granted hoping that one of these days I will find time to enjoy these abilities. This simple flower which meant nothing for me was almost a miracle for this elderly person. I guess there is nothing truly ordinary in life, the very things we take for granted today may become precious pleasures in the future.
I guess there is nothing truly ordinary in life, the very things we take for granted today may become precious pleasures in the future.
Melody Beattie writes “It’s easy to take many things in our life for granted: health, the presence of a loved one in our life, friends, food, even sobriety and recovery. When life proceeds smoothly, it’s easy to take the ordinary for granted. Look at the ordinary in your life. How would you feel if it was taken away?” Don’t just fix your eyes on the mountain top or the peak moments on life, pay attention to each step of your journey and you will be amazed how God filled our lives with many miracles whether you are walking in the valley or climbing to a mountain top.
In his article “Awakening to the Miracle of Ordinary Life” Dennis Lewis says “We are faced with a profound mystery: the mystery of ourselves here and now, on this earth. Whatever scientific or religious beliefs we may have about this mystery, about how and why we have come to be, most of us are “asleep” to its unfathomable immediacy, its “now-ness.” We move through our lives in a state of waking sleep, a state of psychological, cultural, and spiritual hypnosis. Instead of experiencing ourselves consciously from moment to moment as living, breathing beings, we lose ourselves unconsciously in the various impulses and fragments of our self-images—our likes and dislikes, our pleasures and pains, our theories, our expectations, our dreams, our fears, and our beliefs.” I am not suggesting that we completely forget the past or ignore the future, but I want us to consciously enjoy our present and not let our past or future rob us the pleasures or miracles of today and this moment.
Tim Hansel says “Perhaps the thing that creates the deepest sadness in me is to watch people continually miss the miracle of being alive. I see people constantly who wander through each day, almost forcing themselves; it seems not to experience life. Like flies crawling across the roof of the Sistine Chapel, we’re unable to see the beauty and grandeur at our feet.” Do you take time to see the beauty and grandeur at your feet often? If not please pause and learn to enjoy the daily pleasures of life instead of hoping that you will someday come back and enjoy them all at once. Do not wait for a tragedy to occur before you can see life’s majesty, learn to enjoy it while you are walking this way. There is a miracle in the most ordinary things in life if you are willing to pay attention and look at them.
“Like flies crawling across the roof of the Sistine Chapel, we’re unable to see the beauty and grandeur at our feet.” – Tim Hansel
– – Author: Rev. Francis Burgula – –
