A Joyous Perspective on the Mundane: When it's simply marvelous....

It's Friday, and time for another Friday Night Thought Tale Hour with the Hendersons. On Monday, I wrote a short piece about boredom, and how we can make small, simple changes to perk things up in our lives. I settled on the subject as I woke up one morning and realized how much I really love the current state of the life I share with my husband, Chris. It's nothing flashy. We don't take exotic vacations. We barely go to the movies but now and then. But the minutes are filled, and they are usually quite full. I wondered how people find themselves feeling 'bored.' And then I remembered something I often said to my kids when they complained of being in that state:

'Only boring people are bored...'

A pretty good comeback for a parent to a 12-year-old, but not really true when it comes to adults. And so, as I wrote about in my post on Monday, (read it here) people run off in haste and make a foolish decision to break the monotony. I used to be one of these. Somewhere deep inside my psyche, I secretly enjoyed a tumultuous and drama-filled existence. If there wasn't a problem to fix, I sought one out or made one. That's what happens when you are raised in a setting that breeds a sense of not trusting the secure. 

Perhaps bored people are really scared of always being bored.

Scared that life doesn't hold anything more for them or even need them. Worried that they will not be important unless they are noticed, even if for doing something wrong. Afraid of blending into the woodwork and becoming a wallflower in the garden of life. Although I don't recall being bored, I know I was once very scared and more insecure than anyone could have imagined. I was stuck in drama, not boredom. I had to make some extremely significant changes to break out of that cycle of fear and drama. Too many to list here. 

Except for one, and he has been a key to much of it.

Yesterday, my husband said to me, "We have a pretty mundane life, don't we?" I chuckled, not quite sure what he meant. He continued, "I mean, it's not a bad thing. I like knowing I can depend on what we have with each other." My heart melted, and he didn't see it and didn't realize the depth of his words to me,  but tears came to these blue eyes. This regular guy, who is someone you'd pass on the street without noticing, and who never draws attention to himself, has balanced me out and helped me to heal. And he's done it all by

simply being him. Simple, dependable, unwavering him.

Yes, there's a lot of mundane, but it's a 

marvelous kind.

So what's my point? Am I just taking this time to do a little bragging about how great my relationship is? Not hardly. No, I am making an attempt to encourage you tonight. If you are alone and lonely, filled with stress and fear, or worried that life and love have passed you by, don't be afraid of the boring. Try a little acceptance and openness to the quiet for a change. Consider a short hibernation. Turn off the phone, lock the front door, and rediscover your bath tub. Not forever, but maybe for a day or two. 

Get yourself some mundane. 

Do you come from a life where your spirit was crushed, and you

feel that only intense emotion can fix you? Can you consider for a minute that this might be a little like putting rock salt on an open wound? Perhaps the perfect salve for that wounded soul is odorless, colorless and without texture. Boring? Healing can be I guess. The process can feel that way until it gives way to health and the peace that comes with it. Then, it's simply marvelous.

True love eases worries, it doesn't create worries.

So tonight, I want to toast to finding the marvelous in the mundane. I have decided upon a cocktail called "Simple but Sweet." As part of our toast, I will give back to Chris a repaired wedding ring as a surprise. He accidently crushed it, but now I have made it whole again. Just like he did for me with my heart. Cheers, Friends.

Joy's Simple but Sweet Cocktail**

1 1/2 oz of Tito's
Apricot Nectar

Fill a highball glass with ice. Pour in the Vodka. Fill with nectar.

**Always drink responsibly. Never drive after consuming alcohol.