I am sharing a copy of my latest column to be published in a few weeks.
Inventing Your Life
“Redefining Ordinary”
By
Rob Claudio
As I was watching
a movie a few weeks ago, a nanny in the film was telling a new mom in the story
that she should always kiss her newborn baby every night, as her child was
going to change and grow before she woke up the following morning. The
mother reacted with surprise when she heard this person tell her this, however,
as their conversation continued the caregiver was simply illustrating in her
own way that she should not take little things for granted. I was in full
agreement with the nanny, because we all continue to grow older every
day that we are alive. In the
morning, we can all have one more wrinkle, frown line or another grey hair
depending on your age. This type of
transformation is most noticeable in a baby of course, because their growth is
on a high trajectory and they have monumental benchmarks related to their ability
to say their first word or take their first step. Parents now-a-days are
better about recording those moments via their cell phone cameras or their high
resolution digital devices, which can capture and archive these precious
moments throughout a person's life. I believe that many times we get
caught up in our own schedules of work, school or caring for others
that we truly forget to notice the many small wonders around us that can help
our days to be a bit brighter and more alive. I learned many years
ago that by stopping, looking and listening in relative silence, that
those instances can provide a wealth of opportunities to see
beautiful and memorable things. In many instances, the small
moments that may seem ordinary to many, have extraordinary elements that can
make our days feel more fulfilled. As in my commute the other
morning when I was riding a train to work, things were just a bit
different. Although the familiar faces
of commuters from the prior week each took a seat around me, there was
a new person that sat right across from me and was sipping coffee while
talking about what a great morning this was. Most of the folks
around her quickly dove into their books or started to tap things
into their cell phones and while I was already listening to music, I kept my
attention on her as she appeared to be full of energy.
After she acknowledged others around her and finished saying good morning, she
put on her ear phones and began bopping away to the music
playing. While she was sitting, she was grooving to the tunes
playing on her phone and did a few snaps and moved her head as if she was part
of the musical performance. I personally enjoyed all of it, because she
didn't mind that people may have been looking at her, she was simply
having a joyful morning that was filled with music that spoke to
her. She got off the train not too long afterwards, however, I continued
to feel her energy left behind along with her spirit of happiness. I
can say with great certainty that most of my train counterparts missed
this observation, because they just didn't appear to pay
attention. In my own mind, I was wondering about the type of music
the lady was playing, who was the band and what era were they from?
I was just being curious, because I wondered if I would have had the same
reaction to her music. As I walked off the train I thought to
myself, I need to change my own Pandora radio station to something more
upbeat to match that energy. To come full circle with my
observations, I feel that paying attention to some of the simple on-goings
around you, can provide for opportunities to change the tone or outcome of your
day. The decision of how to react to these moments is always your
prerogative and I hope that you don't take those instances of your day for
granted, as you must remember that they will never be relived again. Keep
your eye out for what may be the ordinary to others, as you can find that
those junctures can be filled with plenty of inspiration and validation that
your life can be in a good place. You
can always redefine the appearance of what is perceived as typical to be
something greater, which can serve as a higher purpose of inspiration or a dose
of energy if you construe it that way.
“I am an ordinary person who has been blessed with
extraordinary opportunities and experiences.” –Sonia Sotomayor
