I was walking Dandelion through our neighborhood today. Dogs were barking, cars were passing, and leaves were falling from the trees. Dandelion chased a few of them. Nothing particularly exciting was happening. Just another ordinary afternoon in a neighborhood we’ve called home for twenty-four years.
In the Catholic Church, we have a season called Ordinary Time. The name comes from the numbered weeks, but it reminds me how much of life happens between the big celebrations. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
We live in a world where something constantly demands our attention. Politics, social media, breaking news, endless entertainment. When I was growing up, we simply went outside, invented games, played with friends, and came home when the bell rang. We didn’t need someone entertaining us every minute.
Valerie has taught me something about appreciating those ordinary moments. I’m a big-picture person, and I often miss the little things. She encourages me to notice just one thing. Once, as I shared in my book, it was a flower on the ground that I might otherwise have walked right past.
Even now, she’ll sometimes ask when I get home, “What did you notice?”
I’ve run and walked these same neighborhood streets for years. Not much changes, but I’ve come to appreciate that. Life doesn’t always need to be exciting to be good.
And God doesn’t have to do something extraordinary to be present. He’s with us in the ordinary days, too.
Maybe we don’t need more excitement. Maybe we just need to pay attention.
What did you notice today?
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