The Ordinary

Artists are amazing people. They have an uncanny ability to take something ordinary and make it in to something quite extraordinary. Imagine the man sitting in his garage looking around and within no time he, in his mind, he has designed a sculpture out of sprockets, bolts, and old tools. As a photographer I find it a little more difficult to rise to that challenge. Every now and then I will pick a room, photograph what is in it using different angles and composition in an attempt to make ordinary objects appear interesting. I suspect my doctor would be appalled to know that I snooped through the drawers and cabinets of one of the exam rooms during one of my last visits. What can I say. I had a little time on my hands.

This concept of taking the ordinary and turning it into something extraordinary can be applied to our daily lives. I know that some times I feel like I have fallen into a rut taking many things and people for granted. I tell myself I will do this or that tomorrow or next week. I put off sending an email to a friend thinking there is always tomorrow. I also find myself thinking that if I had this or that,  my life wouldn't be or feel so ordinary. What I have failed to do during those moments is to live a life a gratitude and kindness. Take a moment to think about the times that you have bestowed an act of kindness onto a stranger, or you laughed so hard you cried with a friend or the feeling you get when you are with a family member or friend who you love conditionally. It is the excitement to see an old friend, the feeling of comfort when a familiar voice comes out of nowhere, the gentle touch that is needed to soothe a painful time or simple words of encouragement. Those encounters are what can make an ordinary life into a life lived in an extraordinary manner. The next time you feel like your life has become dull or a little ordinary, step outside of yourself, speak words of gratitude and begin to live a life of compassion and kindness and you will experience the extraordinary.