Monday, October 15, 2007

When Mundane Becomes Magnificent

When does something mundane become magnificent? When does the "everyday" become "extraordinary?"
  1. When you are silent enough (not preoccupied with other things) to appreciate it fully.
  2. When you do the mundane with someone you love.
  3. When you realize God is still with you, even during the everyday stuff.

This might sound ridiculous, but here are some mundane things that I have been magnificent for me recently:

  1. Sounds of the road. Turn off the radio and listen for the whirring of your heater, or the hum of your tires on the road. Can you appreciate the wind whistling outside your window?
  2. Time slowed for a few moments this morning as I gazed at leaves changing colors before my very eyes. They have started their change from a "camoflauge green" to brilliant fire-colors. You only get once a year to appreciate those shades of red and orange.
  3. Tracy called me at work today. The sound of her voice brought me back home for a few minutes. I could hear a little bit of frustration mixed with joy in her voice. Odd combination, huh? I love listening to the happiness in her voice as she gets to share things with me. I can tell she's excited to talk to me...and I am excited to hear from her.
  4. Fischer and I were playing cars earlier this evening. We went on a "cross country" drive when we left the living room, drove our cars down the hall and into his room. It was sheer joy and fascination as crawling under his bed became "a tunnel" for our cars. Back in the living room, he took his attention off his play (for just a second, mind you) and lifted his big blue eyes to look at me. "I love my daddy," he smiled. All of a sudden it was OK that we had already played cars 52 times this week. How's that for mundane?

So when has the mundane become magnificent for you? A drink of water after two days of Dr. Pepper? Sleep after an all-night study?

1 comment:

One Observationist said...

Bird watching. I am in Florida this week and I had a few extra minutes yesterday so I walked along the beach. Now this isn't necessarily an example of the mundane becoming magnificent except I am alone. And bird watching relaxes me. Watching birds has helped me to appreciate just how great our God is. They are magnificent little creatures that most people take for granted.

Talking to my wife after being on the road all day also makes me appreciate the seemingly mundane. It makes me realize how often I take those conversations and times spent together for granted.

Great thoughts. That is really cool that you play cars with your son. You are a great dad.