The ordinary is extraordinary

During the holiday season, many people celebrate in a big way. Nothing wrong with that. But what if you stopped shopping, stopped cooking, stopped preparing, stopped entertaining and started reflecting on ordinary things in your life that are truly quite extraordinary.

Some people are really good at this. Despite an abundance of serious problems, they’re appreciative of the ordinary things in life that bring them joy. Others seem to have “everything” in life, yet spiral downward as they focus on what’s not quite right at any given moment.

When I reflect on the many ordinary things in my life that are quite extraordinary, I feel grateful. And when I feel grateful, I feel at peace. And when I feel at peace, everything feels right with the world.

What in my life am I grateful for? Here are just a few of them. Naturally, the first two, top the list.

1. A new darling baby boy has come into my life. Aryeh B. Sapadin was born just three weeks ago. I welcome Ari and wish that every child could enter the world so loved. Glenn and Jess — I gaze into your souls and know what great parents you will be.

2. It was only three and a half years ago that my first grandson, Ezra, was born. And now we have Ezra, Aaron, Reed, Saul and little Aryeh. Our own basketball team of boys! Extraordinary? Yes, for sure. But also ordinary. No headlines in the New York Times. But headlines in my life because I make it so!

3.  I relish the extraordinary choice of entertainment available to me at my command. With just the click of a key or the push of a button, I have more movies, books, music, information available to me than royalty did just a decade ago.

4. What a joy it is to trust my gut instincts after years of not having the guts to do so. No more need to defend why I know what I know (though I usually can). When my instinct is right on, I just know it!

5.  I'm grateful that I was born a middle child. From our earliest days, we have an awareness, sensitivity and tolerance for differences. What better training ground can there be for a psychologist?

6. I get a kick out of developing my artistic talent and am grateful for the direction, instruction and enthusiasm of my teacher, Iris Gorenberg. I've moved from a kid who couldn’t stop drawing messy doodles to someone who is proud to decorate her home with her own artwork.

7.  This year I became a bionic woman. I've got a new hip that will soon enable me to return to the tennis courts. Can’t wait! Extraordinary medical procedures today are so routine, that we think of them as, 'hey, no big deal.' 

Now it’s your turn. Take a few moments to reflect on the year. Be aware of ordinary things in your life that are really quite special. Write them down. Read what you’ve written. Take it all in. Don’t keep waiting around for the extraordinary to happen. The ordinary is too magnificent to overlook.

©2010 Linda Sapadin, Ph.D. is a psychologist and success coach who specializes in helping people enrich their lives, enhance their relationships and overcome self-defeating patterns of behavior. Contact her at lsapadin@drsapadin.com or visit her websites at www.SixStylesofProcrastination.com and www.PsychWisdom.com.