Ripples #1203: Everything Special
June 13, 2022
PEBBLE
Our lives, just as they are, plain and simple, are filled with miracles. Nothing special, nothing holy; or rather, everything special, everything holy.
-Taylor Plimpton, shared by BB in Oakland, CA
BOULDER
Appreciate again and again, freshly and naively, the basic goods of life, with awe, pleasure, wonder and even ecstasy, however stale these experiences may have become to others.
-Abraham Maslow
PONDER
Sometimes when the world seems like a big, scary, awful place…one of the most helpful things we can do is zoom in to focus on the small, ordinary, delightful happenings around us: the goofy smile from the kid in next car over at the stoplight; a flower blooming all by itself along the side of the road; blackberry preserves finally back in stock at a favorite restaurant.
The purpose of mindfully noticing these “basic goods” isn’t to distract us from the yucky stuff; instead, it just puts them in a larger context, helping us see that our struggles are worth it.
As a bonus, they also serve to remind us just how important the little things are, that they make a difference even when they cannot possibly fix all that is broken. This reminder can inspire us to keep plugging along and sharing whatever bits of goodness we can, especially since those bits may just become someone else’s “everything special” that helps them to keep on going during a difficult day.
Peace,
Paul
P.S. Thank you for reading this!
