As I walked out the door this morning, to take Copper outside, I noticed the tiny sliver of the moon in the sky.
I ran back into the house, grabbed my camera and ran back outside to catch the shot. The SD card wasn’t in it, so I had to run back in and grab that.
Then I got the shot.
I took a few – most of them didn’t turn out. I was in a rush, plus, the moon fades fast as the sun rises each day.
Thankfully, it does so on each day of my ordinary life. I treasure knowing that I’m enough. Despite the daily messages that trigger me to think that I’m not. After all, I’m 54 and I let my hair go gray. Shame on me. Nah, I don’t buy that thinking.
I’m not a doctor or a lawyer or the President. I’m just little ol’ me. Living in a corner of a lot of soybean fields in a small town in Wisconsin.
I enjoy sipping on an ice-cold Leinenkugel’s beer while I wait for a glorious dinner to appear. I’m a tad spoiled when it comes to that!
I don’t live in a mansion, but, dagnabit the appraisal said it has enough value to take out a second mortgage.
We’re those kinds of parents who helped our last child who flew the nest to get her leg up on life so she can take care of us when we age (she doesn’t know that part yet).
I sit on the floor while I feed Copper. The bowl when it moves scares him. Our cats watch and wait for their turn to be fed.
I watch out the dirty windows to see what’s happening in the yard. Photo ops come easily to me. Even just what’s sitting next to me.
Each and every one of us can be extraordinary. We all deserve greatness.
The fact that this statement is inherently contradictory – after all, if everyone were extraordinary, then by definition no one would be extraordinary – is missed by most people. And instead of questioning what we actually deserve or don’t deserve, we eat the message up and ask for more.
Being ‘average’ has become the new standard of failure. …
A lot of people are afraid to accept mediocrity because they believe that if they accept it, they’ll never achieve anything, never improve and that their life won’t matter. – Mark Manson The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*uck
There are a lot of special things in my ordinary existence. Like marigolds that grew from seeds. I saved them from the previous years’ crop. They are extraordinary flowers to me.
Every day, I sit quietly to listen to my heart – the simple ordinary sliver of life I have with Mr. is extraordinary to me.
Post Inspiration – Susannah Conway’s August Break 2019 – Listening
PS – How about you – do you buy into the social media messages that you’re not good enough? Are we obsessed with extraordinary to the point of no return? What are your favorite flowers? What is a favorite ordinary moment you treasure each day?
I feel very lucky this AM. I smelled your marigolds (one of my faves as a kid), saw your cats quietly watching the dog, saw how much your Mr. likes colors on a plate, saw your cat watching the rabbit and vice versa, saw your little outdoor doll’s house, saw Copper and thought his allergies, saw the moon sliver above that beautiful sunrise … all thru your lens … and read a little philosophy too. After too little sleep, it restored my balance.
Ellen, I’m so tickled my thoughts in this post brought moments of balance to your day – sorry to hear you hadn’t slept well. I hope you were able to sleep better last night!
Ahh, I LOVE this. It’s so important to appreciate what we have and not feel less than. Those marigolds are AMAZING. And I love the cats watching Copper eat and waiting for their turn. Have a great day!
Thank you, Laura, I’m so happy to read you enjoyed the post. I’m impressed with that bunch of marigolds. They have really enjoyed that space in my garden. Plenty of seeds to capture for next year :-)! The pets have their feeding frenzy order – it was a great day – hope yours was too! As always – your comments bring joy to my day!
All those simple things offer alot of peace, have a great day, thanks for the morning flowers
I don’t buy into much that society tells me that I’m supposed to be doing to be a better me. Doctors can tell me what to do, but after that I take it all with a grain of salt, insisting on keeping my life as simple and authentic as possible. For this I am grateful.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Ally – the seasonings of life, taken in proper doses, or rejected as desired, do provide us with opportunities to live that wonderful life you described. I’m grateful that our paths have crossed – I enjoy reading your thoughts.
One must draw the line in the sand when it comes to the BS on any social media platform. Stay centered on who you are. Social Media is an avocation, not the real thing!
Excellent advice, John. Staying centered is very important, I agree! Great description for SM!!
I prefer to be a nondescript personage living in the middle-of-nowhere in a town people drive through quickly so they can get to the lake. Love the post. Thanks for sharing and my morning smile. g
Thank you for sharing your thoughts. Your description of living leads well to the opportunities you take to catch wonderful bird photos that you do. I appreciate your encouragement for this post – and I’m happy it brought a smile to your day!
One of the big advantages of not spending much time on social media is that I don’t browse through hundreds of pictures of meals and drinks. It’s better to be blissfully ignorant of all that…
LOL – that’s a great reason to avoid SM too! 🙂
Good enough for who or what? I ask myself. Social media is only as significant as we let it become (at least I think so). People give up control of their own self image before they know what happened! This is a really nice post with a positive message. 🙂
Your marigolds are stunning. I am still impressed about the part where you save the seeds first!
A favorite ordinary moment is coffee and the morning paper. It is one of those things I used to say I would have time for when I retired. And I did!
Thank you for sharing your thoughts – I agree, our own self image gets lost before we know it, especially if we’re paying attention to the wrong things.
I’m very happy with this bunch of marigolds. I save the seeds every year, and hope for the best when I plant them next spring.
Morning coffee is the best – I’m glad you’ve made that retirement goal a reality. I hope you find some good news to read while you’re at it – I’d go for the comics page and the crossword puzzle…! 😉
You are so right about the news. I read a local paper, which provides comic relief without meaning to. For instance – a front page story in June was about a woodchuck “menacing” downtown including trying to enter a local music store “for guitar lessons perhaps.” 🙂
That’s a fun local paper! I’d enjoy reading that kind of story!
A lovely read Shelley 🙂
Thank you, Brian!! 🙂
Hi, Shelley – Thank you for another thought-provoking post. I believe that each and every one of us is extraordinary in our own way. And that’s more than good enough for me!
Hi Donna – thank you for sharing your thoughts, I so appreciate hearing from you!!
One more thought – I enjoyed your post and the link you shared to a fellow blogger – what a wonderful post about the world of blogging, excellent thoughts she shared!!
Every year at work they make us come up with an Individual Development Plan – what training classes we want to take, how we want to grow and advance in the company. Each year I say the same thing – I’m content with where I am, I have no interest in advancement. Of course that doesn’t fly so I have to come up with something. But it is truly how I feel. I agree as a society we seem to be of the mindset that we must always strive for more . Why can’t I be happy with my current job, income, house, car, lifestyle, etc? Why do I always have to want more? There is more to life than all of those statuses and I prefer to spend my time enjoying life not wanting more of everything.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Lisa. There is, like you said, the message to strive for more. Finding joy in life not wanting more is a peaceful and content way to live. Again, thank you, I appreciate hearing your perspective!
People glom onto social media too much – they let it rule their lives. I am sorry that I am a slave to reading Facebook, but I’ve pared down to just one friend on there that I am interested in and follow a handful of news or park events sites. I follow Twitter, but just for the weather and news. I figure I have my own quirks and I have my own set of standards I set for myself and likely that are very different than most people. I worry that people don’t take the time to appreciate the simple things in life because they want a life that mimics what they see on other’s social media feeds. In some respects, the internet is not a positive influence. My walks are therapeutic to me – time spent away from the keyboard and screen for an hour or so. I start out with a clean slate and take on the day after that (if I’m lucky and Mother Nature cooperates).
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Linda. I, too, hope we’re not tossing away the ability to notice the little things in life and how important they are for our overall mental health well-being. Enjoy every therapeutic walk you take!
Yes, I hate seeing people walking at the park – one couple around my age, (guessing they are retirees or work nights or afternoons), they don’t talk to one another, their heads are bent looking at their phones the entire walk and I hate seeing that – I am going to leave shortly. I have to get some stuff done in the house this weekend and the yard too. I’ll take some time for myself too and tomorrow is rainy off and on. I have some concerns for that EEE virus – we have a 14-year-old woman here in Michigan who is in dire straits after being bitten by a mosquito infected with that virus. Good thing I didn’t hear that before last Saturday’s trek — woodsy and swampy in some areas and mosquitoes to boot. Have a good holiday weekend Shelley. Give Copper a pat for me.
Oh, my, take care – stay safe, and enjoy your time this weekend!! Hugs to you from us here!!
Thank you and long-distance hugs back to you as well. We had no rain after all – that was okay and I stayed close to home.
Yay!! Good for you!
Your marigolds are gorgeous!
Thank you, Rebecca!!