Joy in the Ordinary
Ordinary things are what life is made of. Nearly a decade ago, the phrase "Joy in the Ordinary" came to my mind often. It would show in my everyday life as a homeschooling mom and wife and come to mind as I scrolled through websites and social media. I didn't know why it continued to come to mind initially, but soon I realized that I was becoming bogged down by the "what ifs" and the " good enough." These thoughts are often normal when life moments seem to run together, and seeing the joy in the small things is hard. I started to get frustrated with these thoughts and decided to learn more about joy.
I recently watched a short video featuring quotes by Matthew McConaughey. In this video, they shared a quote where he differentiated between joy and happiness during a college commencement speech. He stated, "If happiness is what you're after, then you are going to be let down frequently and be unhappy much of your time. Joy, though, is something else. It's not a choice, not a response to some result; it is a constant. Joy is “the feeling we have from doing what we are fashioned to do,” no matter the outcome." This perspective resonated with me because I learned much about joy from my ordinary days. I knew I was making the right choice for my family when I chose to remain home and care for my family. I found much joy in living life with my family members, but because I didn't know the value of experiencing the little moments. I had started to drift into the stream of belief that extraordinary moments are what life was made of and contributed to ultimate happiness.
The good news from the evading phrase "joy in the ordinary" is that it caused me to search for and recognize the joy in my family's everyday moments. Matthew McConaughey stated that joy is a constant, but when I started my journey, I very much saw it as a choice that I intentionally needed to make to remain aware. I knew that joy isn't tied to highlights; for me, it was about seeing God, my Creator, in all the gifts and hardships. And, with this thought, I can see joy as a constant.
When I struggled with thoughts of "what if" and "good enough," I started to become frustrated with myself because those thoughts weren't how I normally viewed life, but, I must say, it's funny how our mind shifts from one way to another, so I found myself searching for my former self. The part of myself that is optimistic and appreciates the simple things in life. Being this way helped me remain and live joyfully. As a human being, it can be hard not to get knocked off the regular course when little things sneak in and distract us. These little things can look like envy, jealousy, doubt, financial struggles, uncertainty, and so on. The next time thoughts like these show up, I encourage you to stop and find joy in what is true in your current life. You might have to choose it until you see it as a constant.