January 18, 2012

Seeing the Everyday ¹

by Wendy • My Life As It Happens

 

I am not going to lie to you.  I have a hard time seeing the everyday.  I like a grand adventure.  I like to get out there and see it, touch it, feel it, do it, and explore it.  I want to live on top of the world.  I will stop and smell a rose as long as I can look up at a sunflower and a pick a tulip all at the same time.  The details of daily life seem like hot-chocolate without the marshmallows unless I can break it up with an adventure or two thrown into the mix.  I like to live outside of a normal schedule..that’s how most firefighters live.  We don’t work the 9-5 and life is meant to be lived on the edge.  Now, mind you I have been seeing the everyday since the beginning of November and my eye is starting to twitch.  Even though I hate to fly, I am ready to board a plane.  Even though I like to plant myself on my couch for some good TV watching, I am looking forward to seeing a hotel lobby or two.  I’m counting down the days…

Several months ago another blogger posted about this magazine, Seeing the Everyday.  As the title states, the magazine is all about looking at our ever day life, the routine, the grind, the small moments and giving them the honor and respect that we give to our bigger moments.  What drew me to the magazine was the lack of advertisement and the beautiful photographs…eye candy.  It had gotten rave reviews and being a sucker for magazines I decided to give it a try.  Fast forward to November and I finally received my first copy.  I didn’t have a chance to read it because our house was crammed with holiday guests and activities and so I tossed it to the coffee table to read during another quieter moment.  Again fast forward to about a week ago and while I was riding my stationary bike, I finally picked it up.  I fell in love with it immediately.  The stories were short and sweet (although sometimes a bit too much).  The pictures were gorgeous.  The pages without advertisement was heavenly.  But what I felt the most while reading through the pages were how much those everyday moments in the author’s life had made big impacts.  A simple meal.  A family game.  Time spent outside.  All little things that I honestly take for granted.  With Project Life, documenting our daily and weekly lives, forces me to look at the smaller details…the little tiny bugs on the little tiny blades of grass that my daughter revels in.  This magazine celebrates that.

 

 

Most of the time I am forced into visiting the ever day when I am sidelined by illness.  Unfortunately because of my injuries, health issues always linger in the background.  If I do too much, I am quickly knocked back down a peg or too.  It infuriates me but I also know that when I am stuck at home on the couch or on the back porch, I can learn to appreciate the small things.  It’s only January 18th and yet I already have my first respiratory infection of the year.  This doesn’t bode well for the coming year, especially with another busy travel schedule.  I thought I actually dodged the bullet because I managed to not get the nasty crud that the rest of my family had over the Christmas holidays.  Maybe I got too smug.  I have been sidelined to the couch and I am about over it.  I have too much to do and I’m already pressed for time but yet again, I am gently reminded to capture the little details including medicine bottles, blankets on the couch and a tea-party that my daughter is having with her fuzzy friends.