I know that word has a negative connotation. Everyday, mundane, quotidian, routine, unremarkable, ordinary.
Not for me!
Things have begun to settle down a bit. V. has been gone to stay with his girlfriend and as far as I'm concerned, he can stay with her until the Apocalypse. D's foot surgery went without incident and outside of a bit of pampering, she hasn't required much from me in terms of caretaking. My eye is healing as it should and is nearly back to normal. A little pain now and then but nothing alarming. The upset surrounding my father seems to have peaked and is on the decline, both with other family members and me.
Over the past month, there's been far too much chaos in my life. Too much unpredictability and upset. Chaos has never been good for me. Unpredictability and upset is .. well.. upsetting. It's wearing and disruptive. I crave tranquility and quiet. Consistency. Predictability. I don't like change unless it is controlled change. I want to know it is coming and prepare for it. Most people would be amazed at how much contentment I find in my (by most standards) very small life.
I spend a lot of time gardening, reading, walking, writing ~ all things that are quite solitary for the most part. My favorite time of the day is as it winds down, the sun begins to fade and the evening has arrived. I sit in the recliner and read for a while, usually watching some idiocy on TV that requires no depth of thought. CNN, Numbers, CSI Some Major City, Bones, House, American Idol.... fluff.. stuff... Maybe do a little email.
Today, I will intentionally walk the three miles to Home Depot and buy a new plunger for the toilet. When I get home, I will leisurely install it. On the way back from Home Depot, I'll stop in one of my favorite Thai restaurants and have lunch. Then I'll go to a local park and read by the stream that runs through it. Under a tree. Maybe some gardening late this afternoon and then a quiet evening of TV and a book.
I'm sure that would be bone-crushingly boring for most people who want action, action, action. I can understand that... to a degree. This with me isn't just age though. I've been this way as long as I can remember.
That's my life. It's small. But I like it.
Peace,
~Chani
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Mundanity....
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22 comments:
I would love a simple life like this. It's simply way too complicated right now and I am trapped. I am jealous and happy that someone in this world enjoys the simple pleasures.
Your life sounds quite lovely. I'm craving some peace and tranquility, some consistency. It's a good thing to like your life.
Oh, Chani. Do I ever get this:
Most people would be amazed at how much contentment I find in my (by most standards) very small life.
I think that for those of us who find too much environmental stimulation aversive, there's nothing better than a quiet, peaceful, predictable, and yes, small, life.
I too, have a small life. It's good. I look forward to the day when it is even smaller.
Sounds good to me. When I was living in South Florida that was just the kind of peace I craved. My grandparents bought a farm when they retired and my favorite memories as a kid were doing 'nothing' on that farm. Picking berries, walking in the hills, eating a sandwich by the creek, reading on the porch, feeding the barn cat, picking flowers. I could go back and live there for the rest of my life doing just that-and yes, I would even give up my shoes for that kind of quiet life. :o)
Sounds wonderful. I haven't been feeling well, and I wish just for enough quiet to take a nap. I picked up the Thin Tastes Better book at the library today.
I think in the big picture, you have the life I'm trying to move toward - walking, gardening, reading.
I wish I could be peaceful in a small life. I love that you love yours the way you do it sounds lovely
Lee, I am sorry to hear about that. I remember all too well what it is like. I hope you are able to get out of that very soon.
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Deb, yes.. I can say that my life is sometimes lovely. It's one of the things I am most grateful for, aside from my relative good health. If I thought I had to go back to the other way of life, I don't even think I'd want to stick around.
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SM, that is one of the things that those who are NOT environmentally sensitive do not understand about those who ARE. Seriously. Too much light, movement, noise, too many smells... I become disoriented.
Last month, shortly before my eye surgery, I took a walk to my doctor's office. Coming back, I went through Arden Fair Mall. I got so disoriented that I had to ask a security guard to direct me out. All I could see was swirling color.
How embarrassing is THAT? LOL..
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Meno, mine will likely get smaller when I'm in Thailand. It will be me, a laptop, a pretty rented house, my books and lots of nature walks.
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MsPea, if you'd give up your shoes, you must be serious! LOL
Yeah.. the quiet life is no longer dependent on age. I think everyone wants it.
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De, I wish that for you, too.
Let me know what you think of the book. Mine is being mailed from Amazon and I should have it early next week.
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Lucia, yes.. it is wonderful this way. Sometimes I envy you your traveling but then I look at the associated hassles and decide that reading about it on your blog is just fine! :)
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Flutter, I wish it for you, too. I don't know you well.. but I do sense that it would be good for you.
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Peace,
~Chani
it actually sounds really terrific. leisurely, in the moment, exactly what so many of us miss.
You're day(s) sound perfectly fine and wonderful to me. Blissful, in fact.
I can take some excitement. Once upon a time, I think I sought it, or made it.
I can also leave it. I now am quite happy sometimes to have a very quiet day or three. Doesn't happen often, but I can come pretty close to low-key anyway, even if I miss quiet.
On occasion I have felt restless, less now as I get older.
But I have never felt bored.
Good for you knowing how to have contentment in your life.
If it makes you happy, it can't be small. And, I would be endlessly happy if there was a Thai restaurant in a 15 mile radius much less 3. Next time you go, be sure to eat some lovely spicy tofu and veggies for me!
Hi Thailand Gal,
I'm all for simplicity. There's so much DOING in this culture. So much busy-ness. I just want to say, "Calm down, breath, feel, look around you." Bo Lozoff says in his outstanding book ("It's a Wonderful Life, it Just Takes Practice") that we are so far removed from simple pleasures that we don't even recognize them anymore. Instead we reach farther and farther for "pleasure," spending increasing amounts and getting more stressed.
I really recommend that book. Chani, you would fit right in.
I understand. I think that ultimately, our task is to be comfortable in our own skins without the constant clamor and busyness that we are taught to associate with a full life.
For me, a spiritually full life is quite solitary by most standards, and while I don't get disoriented in a crowd, I also don't enjoy that kind of stimulation.
I prefer to be alone with the natural world much of the time.
Sounds like a perfectly lovely day, especially to a ravaged mother of a 2-year-old!
Jen, I don't know how people can live without it. But clearly I was never designed for that kind of life so it is difficult for me to comprehend someone tolerating it for very long without coming apart.
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Tabba, some days are blissful. Especially with V. gone. It's amazing how much upset and drama he brings to this environment. He leaves and everything's good again.
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Julie, the one thing I've never been is "bored". There's always something to learn, to do, to watch, to read... some friend to visit... something. Boredom is something that little kids experience... not big girls and boys. :)
When I was younger, I used to look for excitement.. but my standard of excitement is pretty easily met. :)
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Liv, we have three Thai restaurants in the area but only one of them is authentic. The other two are Thai-flavored. The one I like prepares food that tastes like the stuff I had in that country.
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Caroline, simplicity is the only way I *can* live.. and in some respects, I consider that "defect" in my character to be a positive thing. :)
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Susan, my brain, for whatever reason, won't process the stimulation correctly. One day, scientists will probably discover what chemical or what composition of brain activity it is that creates people like me. Sort of wish I could be around to see that one.. but I suspect it won't be discovered in my lifetime.
I also prefer to be surrounded by nature. I'm not really much of a "people person". I like people.. but don't need to be around them constantly.
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KC, I can imagine it sounds wonderful to you! I don't know how you work all week long, saving lives, and then have to be "available" to others all other waking hours.
My hat's off to ya. That's for sure! :)
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Peace,
~Chani
I think most people want a simple life.
People who crave adrenalin always seem out-of-balance to me.
It's the ordinary everyday mundane stuff that makes life good because that's what we spend most of our time doing. If we wait for the exceptional moments, there are huge chunks of nothingness in between.
AC said it well. From the proper perspective, the ordinary can be quite extaordinary.
Thomas, I often think people who crave andrenalin are looking for the sensation of being alive. They're numb.
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AC, totally true!
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Pam, the ordinary seems to be the most extraordinary most of the time. Highlights are just that... highlights. :)
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Peace,
~Ch
Chani - That day sounds lovely to me, and so peaceful. I love the exciting stuff too, but only because the surroundings where I live are so tranquil.
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