Just a normal day
‘How was your day?’ The normal question we ask or get asked as a day draws to a close. ‘Fine,’ ‘hectic,’ or ‘another ordinary day,’ are what lots of us will either think or say, but, in our current situation, can a day be classed as ordinary and is our ordinary now extraordinary?
Pursuit of an extraordinary day is something that can do more harm than good. To most of us, extraordinary days are something that happen on holiday or at the weekend. You have more free time, aren’t tethered to normal responsibilities and the rapid pace we find ourselves in begins to slow. The problem is that even if you spent every weekend and holiday feeling like the day was extraordinary, that’s on average only 33% of your year. So, what do we do with the other 67% that isn’t made up of weekends and holidays?
Andy Cope, author of Art of Brilliance, would suggest that we need to shift our thinking and focus on the small things to make ordinary days feel extraordinary. Life is fast paced, weeks are zipping by in a blur and weekends are very brief respites to prepare ourselves for another week that will fly by. So, let’s take time to slow down and take pleasure in the beautiful ordinary. Practices like exercising, reading, working with focus, playing and eating good food should be celebrated.
The celebration of the small things is something children are good at; they celebrate and appreciate the little things and look at the world around them with fresh eyes and wonder. Throughout the school day you can hear and feel a constant buzz of excited children. When another ball goes over the wall in the morning ECA or when they have that lightbulb moment of understanding the nine times table in Maths, the laughter, happiness or celebration shows that DESS children live in the moment. They make the most of all opportunities that are thrown their way, they live in the moment and appreciate the small things. They appreciate the beauty in the ordinary.
My challenge to you this week is to be like a DESS child and make an ordinary day feel extraordinary. What was extraordinary about today?
