heartbeat
some moments in life change everything.
of course, the big ones do, first jobs, graduations, marriages, children, promotions, death. these moments are events, we expect them to take over, to change us, to get our attention.
but what about the small ones? the simple smile that opens your heart, or the first bud opening on the crab apple tree. what of the shimmer of moonlight through the curtains on the night you cannot sleep, or the sound of your husband’s snoring? what of the first sip of tea each morning, the one you have been taking so long it has almost become the same as breathing?
and what of the moments that pass by, unnoticed? the ones filled with repetitive motion?
there are the dishes i wash daily, again and again, and the bed that i make and this floor that i sweep. there is my hand passing back and forth as it sweeps the dust from a picture.
there is ritual in these tiny bits of life that make up the patterns of our days.
these are the things that keep us grounded, keep us grinding away. they may wear us down, but they keep us going.
creating order out of chaos is what keeps us sane. holding together the bits of our lives on our postage stamp of universe, giving us purpose, potential, comfort.
i am rich because i have a floor to sweep, a mirror to dust, a bed
to make.
this tea to drink.
and savor.
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February 28th, 2011 at 10:35 am
🙂 I do have that frame of mind regarding rituals I love~~coffee in the morning, toweling off after a shower…I will need to remember to bring that to housecleaning as well. True. Thanks.
February 28th, 2011 at 10:39 am
You are rich indeed; thank you for sharing your wealth.
February 28th, 2011 at 10:43 am
i do take comfort in some repetition, but if too much, i get antsy for change.
February 28th, 2011 at 10:53 am
I live for sacred moments in time ~ and have learned, as you’ve described, that it is seldom the location or the event itself that renders a moment sacred ~ but the amount of presence and attention we bring to the moment.
This was beautiful – thank you …
February 28th, 2011 at 12:07 pm
it’s good to be rich like that….sometimes we forget.
February 28th, 2011 at 12:24 pm
There is a metal smith named Daniel Brush who sweeps his studio floor with purpose. I quote:
“Brush structures his day around repeated activities, a “ritual of ordinariness” including eating the same breakfast (Cheerios) and lunch (pea soup) and meticulously sweeping the floor for as much as two hours.”
February 28th, 2011 at 12:40 pm
So sweet and so tender, very pretty
February 28th, 2011 at 2:39 pm
It took years, but I finally realized how sacred and beautiful those small rituals can be. I’m afraid I don’t always remember it, though. Thanks for this wonderful reminder!
February 28th, 2011 at 3:53 pm
I’ve been grumbling about doing the housework today . . . thanks for making me see it in a new light.
February 28th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
Gorgeous post. And it’s so funny, the big moments ARE life changing, but I can never seem to remember them. Graduation days and other important events seem to be a blur in my memory, the very excitement of the day making them fuzzy. But the little moments that changed my life–a conversation, a concert, a rainstorm after a big fight–are so clear to me, like they happened yesterday. I can remember those in snapshot-like detail.
(Gorgeous photo too!)
February 28th, 2011 at 4:59 pm
You never cease to spark inspiration in me. These words are so true and the moments described, so precious.
February 28th, 2011 at 5:13 pm
very wonderful thoughts over a cup of tea…
February 28th, 2011 at 5:58 pm
My parents used to tell me they were rich because of all the love in their lives. I didn’t realize until I was grown up how lucky I was to have had them as parents.
February 28th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
Beautiful post. I love that all of those things that make up are day are almost meditative! Savoring the simple things is so important!
February 28th, 2011 at 11:20 pm
Gorgeous shot! I am in awe. And I, too am focusing on the smaller moments – they are the meat of life, the majority of our lives. Feeling joy in the small moments has filled my life more than I can ever say.
March 1st, 2011 at 9:09 am
Lovely…”these are the things that keep us grounded, keep us grinding away. they may wear us down, but they keep us going.”
This simple truth has been made so very evident to me lately as something “big” has kept me away from my routines. Suddenly, I found myself craving that which I normally take for granted. Turns out the “smallness” of daily life is what I love about life after all. Who knew?
March 1st, 2011 at 5:06 pm
it is the small moments that move us. i haven’t read a post in days and wasn’t planning on reading one today, but here i am, and i am moved. just a small moment. me in front of the computer screen, your words celebrating the small sacred things – the moments that build a life. it is something i am always aware of, but especially so lately. thank you for telling it so beautifully.
March 1st, 2011 at 7:03 pm
loved this post, thanks for that
PS love the photo too
March 3rd, 2011 at 4:54 pm
I know exactly what you mean. There was an old painting hanging in the house I used to live in that I walked past everyday. It wasn’t until I had been living there for a few months that I finally stopped and looked intently at it. I was blown away by how beautiful it really was, and that I had never given it notice before. It was then I realized that there truly is beauty and meaning all around me, but I’m the one too busy to sit for awhile and notice.
March 3rd, 2011 at 5:11 pm
and there are tiny small moments when i stop everything and drop in here to let your words wash over me and bring me back to center. thank you. and love.
March 3rd, 2011 at 8:56 pm
It’s so true. Life is about the details, even though they can be so easily overlooked.
March 4th, 2011 at 8:06 am
“there is ritual in these tiny bits of life that make up the patterns of our days.” Somehow reading this post is making my first cup of coffee taste better.
This is lovely.