In the Defense of Ordinary: Romanticizing Real Life
Keep it simple. Make it special.
Most of life is lived between its peak moments. While culture reveres the extraordinary, the ordinary is dismissed as boring. Yet, hidden within the ordinary is the foundation of a good life: the gift of authenticity, contentment, and peace.
We don’t have to merely endure; we can actively seek pleasure in life’s details. This is not about adding one more chore or caving to a social media-generated standard of hustle. No, our motto here is: Keep it simple, make it special (no vacation required). It is a shift in perspective- truly seeing what is already there.
So, how do we romanticize the ordinary? What does that look like? It looks like opting out of the hustle culture in favor of small and actionable steps:
⭐Create daily rhythms- Start where you are, and pick one area of focus that fits the life you live right now. Carve out a new and non-negotiable rhythm to order your day. For example:
Wake up 15 minutes before your family, choosing to start your day from a place of quiet rest -rather than panic.
Create a mid-afternoon mini-break to step outside, read, or take a quick walk.
It is these hard stops throughout the day that create the structure and breathing room needed to add color to the commonplace.
Romanticize the ordinary. No vacation required.
⭐Rhythms create rituals: intentional bookends in our day that serve as repetitive soul anchors of comfort, mooring us to the present moment.
Some examples include daily coffee/tea ritual, journaling, prayer/mediation, reading, and a nightly wind-down routine.
⭐Create your atmosphere- No need to remodel; just light the candle, string up some fairy lights, or buy one yummy blanket. Cue the jazz, fill your house with the aroma of a roasted chicken. Good lighting, good sounds, and good smells add a touch romance to the routine. Small tweaks equal big changes. Play the classical music washing dishes. Shower by candlelight. Listen, the dishes are just the dishes, but it is the intention, not the task, that adds something special.
No need to remodel your house or head to Tuscany.
Romanticizing the ordinary doesn’t require a big financial or time investment; it starts with a commitment to embracing the small details of the now. We don’t have to wait for extraordinary. Richness and beauty in the mundane are not defined by an exotic destination or stroke of luck; they are already HERE. It is through small, daily small decisions and actions that the extraordinary comes to us.
How can you romanticize the ordinary today?
