Ordinary days

We often define our lives by memorable moments. Awards, travels to exotic lands, the birth of children, break ups, accidents, deaths, and so on. These events stand out, marking chapters of change, growth, or just notable experiences.

But there’s something about the ‘ordinary day’ that’s worth giving pause to—if not reverence. We take them for granted as they pass us by. They are “lazy” days. We don’t do much and don’t accomplish much. We pay little attention to them on the scale of things. And yet, their uneventful nature is a treasure in itself.

They are pain free, minus a little ache here and there. There’s no one getting angry at you, no looming deadlines or dramatic surprises. You eat an unmemorable, yet perfectly pleasant meal, maybe at home or in your favorite neighborhood spot, where the waitstaff already know your order. You get done the basics, but there’s no stress, no anxiety, no checklist ticking down. Maybe you read a chapter in a book, or watch a show. Or both, with a side of YouTube scrolling. Perhaps you even make it outside to pick up groceries and sit on park bench, watching the colorful autumn leaves drop to the ground—wondering how they managed to paint them this color. The conversations you have aren’t challenging or life-shattering; they are simple, comforting, with people you already know and love, which makes them meaningful by virtue of that familiarity alone. And the quick exchanges with strangers are polite and friendly—as simple as a nod, or a smile—just brief reminders that we are not alone.

Such days aren’t special in a conventional way, but they are like little pauses between all of the chaos that life throws at us. On such days, life simply…flows. In those quiet moments, we simply are. And that’s enough.

We won’t have such 'ordinary' days forever, and we can be grateful for these quiet, unremarkable days of just being. They’re the kind of days we might not think about until they’re gone, and one day, perhaps, we’ll find ourselves looking back, realizing that in a sense, they were as important as any ‘extraordinary’ day. Because in these days, we are reminded that we don’t always need the extraordinary to feel and appreciate the beauty and magic of existence.

These ordinary days ground us, reminding us that life is not only in the big moments but in the slow, unnoticed hours in between.

The noise will return soon enough.

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