It’s a gorgeous Sunday here in Sweden. So much so that I’ve mentioned it in my newsletter and on Instagram. So, if you follow me there, then I’m sorry that you’re hearing about it all over again. Hehe. But, it really is amazing out. Frosty. Frozen. And totally white. The perfect day for sitting inside, sipping coffee, and pondering this past week. And, this week, my friends, was very ordinary +totally extraordinary. Yep. Both. At the same time.
But, I wonder… isn’t that what I am searching for as I seek to literally live the magic + meaning that can be found in everyday life? For all of life to be ordinary + extraordinary at the same time. When the highs + the lows even out. When I find balance in the middle of it all so that I don’t swing back + forth, up + down, unstable, insecure, and all over the place; but, instead, that I live in a sense of grounded peace. That’s the goal, isn’t it? The idea of living a holistic, balanced, unified, non-dualistic life…. where I appreciate + see the beauty of it all. Everything.
So, maybe that’s exactly what I am beginning to experience. I feel so calm + relaxed in the midst of upheaval + uncertainty. And, of course, I feel calm + relaxed when I am grounded + inspired. Sure, I want high after high after high. Who doesn’t? But, in reality, in the depth of my soul, I don’t want that. I know that that is not how the cycle of life unfolds. Life is filled with seasons, with phases. And, for me, finding a way to live with balance is what my little libra soul craves.
When it comes to last week, it was mostly a very regular week for me. Work. Struggling to keep my routines. Finding both joy and frustration at work. Comfort at home. Inspiration in nature. But, for my love, it was an extraordinary week. Which, in turn, of course, means that it is extraordinary for me too. Our life changed drastically in the most fantastic way, and it set off tons of ideas + thoughts in my head. But, even as we experience good changes, I remain calm + settled in my soul.
The thing is… what I am trying to say… is… I finally live a slow life. I let things come + go, pass + flow, and I’m not in a hurry or panicked. Yes, I may get stressed, but I can let that go too, just as one lets go of the thoughts that pass through the head during meditation.
I’m grateful for my pace of life. And were it not a bajillion degrees below freezing up here in the nordic country, I would not be quite as contemplative + focused + willing to take it slowly as I am. The cold winter darkness keeps me focused right now. It keeps me in a state of acceptance. And that helps me to let my life unfold with the season.
Sure, I crave the exotic + adventurous moments of life. But, to find + create + acknowledge the exotic + adventurous in the ordinary. That’s where the magic is.
Like this night out of conversation, beer, and laughter with my love + a bunch of new people we met…
And like early morning walks to watch the sunrise + just breathe in the cold, crisp winter air…
Cozy moments at home. Dinner with friends. Reading a book. Playing music. Walking + working out + meditating. Phone calls + FaceTime. Being creative. Doing nothing. Walking + driving to work. Listening. Breathing. Being.
It’s the little + the big. The ordinary + extraordinary. The mundane + the exotic. It’s all of it. All of the moments of our lives that make up the stories that will become our legacy, our legend, and our destiny. There’s no need to wait or wish.
It might not be easy. It might not feel possible. But you know, we have the power. The power to choose how we respond to what happens in our lives, the power to create our life, the power to write our own story, and the power to see all of regular, ordinary moments as extraordinary or not.
Right now, once again, and every other day hereafter, I wake up and choose to see magic + to create meaning. Who’s with me?
xoxo. liz.
