a couple of years ago, I was driving a roommate to her food service job downtown. as I drove away from her work, my head churned with tasks I needed to do. every car driving a bit too slow frustrated me. the very nature of the day frustrated me. I was thinking of the future because in my head, that was a time when I could relax.
it struck me then, as it strikes me now, that seeing relaxation and excitement as a far off hope is a shallow, smaller version of the life I want to live. so much of life is made up of seemingly mundane moments. going here and there. cooking breakfast. washing dishes. working. when I’m annoyed by the repetition of cycles, the same tasks frustrate me. joy seems like a far-off destination–something always out of arm’s reach.
I’ve had to sit myself down many times and remind myself that joy, rest, and relaxation cannot be future goals. they have to be kneaded into each moment. if I want to live a life where I am rested, excited, passionate, and joyful than I have to make a practice of these things. I have to take on less, do less, say “no,” disappoint others at time, make time for resting. no moment of life is to be taken for granted.
every moment can be charged with curiosity, and curiosity too is not simply an action so much as a practice. a walk to work could be an annoying task, a transporting of our bodies peppered with inconveniences. washing a dish could be simply an incredibly boring, repetitive task. (all this cooking and cleaning, it seems endless). but each moment is a reminder of being in a body and getting to see the body work and move. each moment lived contains excitement because there is life in it.
there is life in the mundane, and this life holds beauty in it. what is mundane is living in a quieter tones. I want to give praise to what is common, to the beauty of the everyday, and the possibility of curiosity in each moment. I want to praise the mundane for being ordinary. what is cast as commonplace is in actually, exciting, wondrous, filled with magic. i’m in a body? on a planet? breathing air? getting to relate to others? to make sounds with my mouth that others can understand? amazing. magical.
giving praise to the mundane to me also requires calling attention to everyday, commonplace objects. these objects are instance of technological advancement. they are reminders of humans trying things, and of curiosity. though I strive to not be materialistic, I also find joy in praising the material world. in being in it, loving it, and finding the joy that exists in it.
here are words by Pablo neruda & Rilke praising the mundane, as well as a series of photos I took. the series is titled “ordinary objects” and highlights the beauty of mundane things. this was for an assignment for a photo class i’m taking, in which we had to do an inversion of sorts. ordinary objects are so often passed over, and definitely not regarded as beautiful. inspiration was drawn from dutch painters and their still lives with bold colors, textures, and deep shadows. there is humor in these photos, but I also do truly see the mundane as beautiful. all of the life contained in it is beautiful. as Neruda wrote, “Oh yes! / the planet / is sublime!”
excerpt from “Ode to Common Things” by Pablo Neruda
I love
all things,
not because they are
passionate
or sweet-smelling
but because,
I don’t know,
because this ocean is yours,
and mine:
and these buttons
and wheels
and little
forgotten
treasures, fans upon
whose feathers
love has scattered
its blossoms,
glasses, knives and
scissors-
all bear
the trace
of someone’s fingers
on their handle or surface,
the trace of a distant hand
lost
in the depths of forgetfulness.
& an excerpt from Rainier Maria Rilke’s “Ninth Elegy” from the "Duino Elegies
Praise the world to the angel, not the unutterable world;
you cannot astonish him with your glorious feelings;
in the universe, where he feels more sensitively,
you're just a beginner. Therefore, show him the simple
thing that is shaped in passing from father to son,
that lives near our hands and eyes as our very own.
Tell him about the Things.
We are just beginners in the “unutterable world.” We do not live in the sublime, nor in states of transcendence. We live surrounded by ordinary objects, doing ordinary tasks. We are swimming in the mundane. Let me then, find the joy in such an existence, and see the human life charged in all things. Let me praise what I am surrounded by, and find the beauty in it.
"I’ve had to sit myself down many times and remind myself that joy, rest, and relaxation cannot be future goals. they have to be kneaded into each moment." -- I love this sentiment, and can relate so much to the feeling. It can weirdly be so hard to genuinely be present (and not feel anxious about your "responsibilities") while you're taking time to indulge and rest. It's not always easy to practice, but thank you for this beautiful reminder that life can be wonderful any time, we don't have to wait for it <3