I challenge you to a dare
Trees, grass, water, rocks; all ordinary, extraordinarily beautiful.
A garden in Bar Harbor, Maine, June 2012
“Can I challenge you to a dare? Today, stop praying for anything other than the life you have!…before we begin the year, with a sense of adventure, give thanks for your most “ordinary” life. This is how the miracle begins, as we embark with a sense of adventure seeking the splendid in the simple gift of the everyday.”
— Sarah Ban Breathnach
One of my two all-time favorite movies is The Wizard of Oz, which I’ve always thought of (sometimes over the teasing of friends) as a story with many profound lessons. Through dazzling but difficult adventures, Dorothy learns that what she has been seeking has been hers all along. It’s a discovery I imagine that many of us need to make.
If the past 14 months have done nothing else for me (although they have done much), they have taught me the unsurpassed blessings that go with each moment of ordinary life. It’s something I knew intellectually for years, but recently I have been rather hit over the head with it, again and again. While these poundings have left me more than a little bewildered at times, they have provided a sort of clarity through which I am able to see things I didn’t see very well before.
What do you love most about your everyday life? Feel free to share these graces with us here. Reading of your joys, we will doubtless recognize common threads in our own amazing tapestries. Let’s keep weaving!
One year ago today
This post was first published seven years ago today. The original post, comments and photo are linked, along with two other related posts, below. These links to related posts, and their thumbnail photos, do not appear in the blog feed; they are only visible when viewing the individual posts by clicking on each one. I have no idea why, nor do I know how they choose the related posts. That’s just the way WordPress does things.
- Posted in: Uncategorized
- Tagged: appreciation, contemplation, daily, enjoyment, gratitude, joy, life, mindfulness, ordinary, thankfulness
Defeat Despair 
Good morning, Julia! This is wonderful – thank you for this challenge!
At this moment, I am stretching and lounging on comfy yoga props before my colorful electric “fireplace” heater. The sun will be rising soon, and I know there’s good coffee in the coffee jar.
I’m content to think of January as the other piece to December’s “diamond-frosted clasp.”
Susan, nobody needed that message today more than I did, and it was sort of unusual that I saw it when I did. I had left the computer on the blog page last night and somehow it had refreshed itself (or maybe I did it without realizing) and when I saw the message, it really stepped on my own proverbial toes…I was not feeling grateful for the way things are, but I definitely should be! Yes, we are on the other side of the diamond-frosted clasp. I’m hoping there are precious gems yet undiscovered as we move along the necklace in the months ahead…thanks for being here with me this morning!
I agree with you, Julia. I know you’ve created some of your own necklaces and have an appreciation for the way the pieces fit together and flow, complimenting and contrasting each other.
Hmm. I’ve not worn many necklaces this past nine months, but I think I’ll wear one today as a reminder of where we are today.
This is good challenge! I am glad you are still checking in with us Julia!
Thank you, Rene!