In no way is the farm mundane. Maybe it is to farmers. But I doubt it.
What is mundane: dishwashing, clothes folding, sweeping, etc. Much the life of the mom. Well, everyone does those things, moms just do other people's mundane as well as their own. So, mathematically, they do more.
Anyway, I have really been appreciating the mundane lately. Crazy, right? But I have noticed that doing dishes and folding laundry and such is just enough something to not be sitting around, but not too much to exhaust. What I mean is, when I sit on the couch, I end up just wanting to sit on the couch. When I do the dishes, it gets me moving. It gets me thinking. What should I do next? And sometimes it IS: sit on the couch. But sometimes it motivates me to do something creative or productive or fun. I am appreciating the mundane as a time to think and reflect. Almost a time to recharge.
And I am taking pictures of mundane things too. And writing them down. Recently I wrote on the calendar, "Andrew didn't want to wear his mittens, even though it was freezing cold." Mundane, but in a nice way, meaningful. I love the little stuff. The little bits.
Maybe this is because I am a stay-at-home-mom and there are more little bits than big bits right now. But I am really enjoying the little bits.
So maybe it isn't all bad that I don't have a dishwasher. Or am i nuts?
8 comments:
I have to say, life IS much better with a dishwasher....you can enjoy the mundane while loading and unloading it.
Hey Tara! Nice to hear from you. Excellent point. Is that what you do?
I thought up Bailey's birthday party all while drying her hair! Mundane does allow outside the box thinking. Now she is going to have a "nap-over" birthday party. All the little girls are going to wear pjs, bring sleeping bags, and watch The Little Mermaid while getting their nails painted and eating popcorn. So fun!
Tara, That is so cute! you are so creative! Let's here it for child hair care!
Since I love to recommend books: Try "The Quotidian Mysteries: Laundry, Liturgy, and Women's Work" by Kathleen Norris. It's a short little talk she gave at some college somewhere. I loved the way it looked at the mundane, repetitive tasks (didn't I fold all these diapers yesterday?) and elevates them to liturgical actions (didn't we pray the Our Father last week?). I think God especially blesses the efforts we moms make to do the mundane extraordinarily well for His glory. That's something I'm working on lately--how to offer each little thing to God so I have prayer and meaning all through my day rather than at the set prayer times that I sometimes can't even get to.
Yeah, Susan. Often I feel monk-ish in this lifestyle. Well, maybe like a distracted monk! But still, lots of good stuff to be said about reflection and quiet.
The trick, though, is that we're pretty much the farthest thing from monks since, even if we did have a chapel in our house, the last thing we have time for is sitting in it for hours of contemplation. Finding the contemplative in the active . . . not so good at that yet, but I think that's where I'm trying to get.
Monk on the go?
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