Ordinary Moments

I was listening to a podcast when Brene Brown said something that caught me off guard in a way that it hit me square in the eyes. She said, "We chase extraordinary moments instead of being grateful for ordinary moments until hard shit happens. And then in the face of really hard stuff- illness, death, loss- the only thing we're begging for is a normal moment." It was when she said those words that I realized how right she was, and suddenly I was longing for some of the normal moments that I know I can never have again. Like to be in my grandparent’s living room and to just sit with them, or to feel the softness of my gran's skin on her hands in mine, or the laughter of my mother in-law. These are just a few examples of all the things that I took for granted when they were alive. The sometimes little and definitely ordinary things that now stick with me long after they are gone and certainly the things I long to have again. It was in Brene's words yesterday, that reminded me to appreciate the ordinary moments in my life right now instead of just focusing on the extraordinary ones or wishing for more. And so I smelled my two year old's hair and took a mental picture of how she felt in my arms in that moment. The sound of her sleeping, and the smallness of her fingers in comparison to mine. I hope that in me sharing this, that you too will look for the ordinary. I guess now I like to think- that what's beautiful in discovering her words is that we can't not see, and better yet not, not appreciate the ordinary moments.