November 25, 2023
Photo Credit: THPStock/Shutterstock
When my eldest daughter was just a little one, our entire family fell victim to a relentless bout of stomach flu. As if dealing with two adults and a baby being sick for an entire week wasn’t challenging enough, we were on vacation. Imagine enduring a seven-hour car ride home while our little one had the worst of it, and my partner and I were grappling with our own digestive distress. Upon returning home, we discovered our floors were being refinished, necessitating a frantic rearrangement of furniture amid cleaning up messes and rushing to the bathroom. It was, without a doubt, a week from hell.
The day after this exhausting ordeal, while strolling with my daughter, I bumped into an acquaintance. “How’s everything going?” he asked. “Fantastic! I’m absolutely thrilled to do laundry today!” I replied with genuine enthusiasm.
And I really was delighted. After days of cleaning up messes and feeling completely drained, the prospect of a mundane day brought a refreshing sense of relief. I realized that after surviving a storm, the ordinary moments seemed remarkably sweet.
We often find ourselves grumbling about the repetitive tasks of parenting—laundry, snack time, cleaning toys, preparing meals, and yes, more laundry. But after facing a literal or metaphorical mess, the routine of life takes on a whole new allure. A boring day transforms into something truly beautiful, and the mundane becomes extraordinary.
Lately, I’ve been craving those ordinary days filled with simple, repetitive tasks. Life has felt chaotic for quite some time, resembling that week from hell, with its own share of messes and burdens to bear. The usual overwhelm is all too familiar as we juggle family life, careers, and the myriad of responsibilities we all face. It’s a busy world, isn’t it?
On top of the everyday challenges of parenting, there’s an underlying tension that seems to have been building for ages. It’s like an over-stretched rubber band, ready to snap at any moment. Whether it’s social media interactions, work deadlines, or various parenting crises, everything feels heavier than it should. Have you noticed it too? I certainly have.
For what feels like an eternity, I’ve longed for a simple, boring day when the chaos would ease, the overwhelming feelings would diminish (or at least become manageable), and the burdens we carry would lighten. I yearn for a day filled with laundry, dentist appointments, household chores, and maybe even some cat videos—anything but the barrage of distressing news.
There is an undeniable beauty in the simplicity of a boring day, one that often goes unappreciated until we’ve endured our own version of hell. We forget how fulfilling it can be to fold laundry, wash sippy cups, and navigate toddler tantrums until we find ourselves knee-deep in chaos, feeling like everything is collapsing around us.
I continue to hold out hope for a day when my newsfeed is filled with joyful updates rather than distressing headlines. I dream of days when sorting laundry and reminding my daughter to finish her homework are the biggest challenges I face. I’m ready for the tumult of parenting to be a little less dramatic, and I eagerly await those wonderfully dull days.
Until they arrive, I’m finding snippets of ordinary joy throughout the chaos. There’s always a little goodness to be found, and yes, there will always be laundry. Whether it’s a boring day or not, laundry is a constant.
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In summary, while I await my day of simple joys, I’m learning to appreciate the beauty found in the ordinary tasks of life. The chaos will always be there, but recognizing the bliss in boring days can bring much-needed comfort.