"In Thorton Wilder's play Our Town a deeply poignant scene takes place in a graveyard. Emily, still longing for the life she has just left, wishes to revisit one ordinary, "unimportant" day in her life. When she gets her wish, she realizes how much the living take for granted.
Eventually her visit is too much for her to bear. "'I didn't realize', she confesses mournfully, 'all that was going on and we never noticed...Good by, world. Good-by, Grover's Corners...Mama and Papa. Good by to clocks ticking...and Mama's sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new ironed dresses and hot baths...and sleeping and waking up'
On our new path we seek everyday epiphanies--occasions in which we can experience the sacred in the ordinary--and come to the awakening, as Emily finally does, that we cannot longer afford to throw away even one 'unimportant' day by not noticing the wonder of it all."
-Sarah Ban Breathnach (Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy)
Monday, I had the pleasure of spending the weekday hubby and all four of my children. MLK day meant a day off for us all! I had a doctor's appointment in the morning and then did a little thrift store shopping, ( it was 1/2 off day and I would be foolish to miss such a sale). I was excited to find quite a few cute things that I either needed or wanted for myself and the kids.
Once I returned home, I found hubby had done some dishes and was watching Martin Luther Kings' I Have a Dream speech. All four of the kids were sitting on his lap watching it with him. It was his way of making sure they understood the importance of MLK and why exactly they were getting a day off of school.
After a while, I found bunch of old Cosby Show episodes on You Tube and we all started to clean up as we watched re-run after re-run. Sweeping, wiping things down, putting clothes away. We chuckled. We stood in the middle of the floor with broom in hand and shook our head. After hilarious scenes we glanced at each other and smiled. We answered questions the kids had about why Cliff said that to Claire and why Vanessa or Theo were in big trouble.
The show brought back so many memories for my husband and I. However, we have only recently introduced the show to the kids, which makes it even more exciting because we are seeing them enjoy it as we did in our childhood. I think I enjoyed the show even more since I am now a parent and can appreciate Cliff and Claire's firm yet loving, and sometimes hilarious approach to parenting.
In the midst of cleaning and watching the Huxtables, I thought to myself, "This is so nice. I have my own family." I felt like Emily in Our Town realizing that there is something wonderful going on around me right here in the ordinariness of my "unimportant" days. As I move deeper into this new year, I plan on intentionally grabbing hold of and enjoying more of these wonderful things.
