The Mundane Things are The Important Things

I have lately felt as though these have been meaningless days.

.........

I have not had much motivation for deep cleaning, massive organizing or elaborate renovations, as some of you have.

So many people are using this quarantine for such projects, which I think is absolutely wonderful.

But those of us who are always home are just plodding along, living how we've always lived.

It can feel a little mundane, but mundane to me is just another way of saying peace, and stability.

I have to remind myself, mundane things are the important things.

I bring fresh flowers home from each grocery trip, and light a candle on the stovetop everyday.

My morning consists of a simple, but important, hair and makeup routine.

I spend my days reading, cooking and cleaning, and helping the children through their school lessons.

Some days lately have had a bit more ambition in them...

We have tried new recipes and have baked cakes from scratch.

I spent three days making new curtains for my living room.

And the children have been to the lake twice in one weekend!

Our days are full.

But with this prolonged government order, I feel my days whittling away. Each one rolling heedlessly into the next. With no rhyme or reason...

"Today is Thursday." I say to the kids. "No, wait. It's Friday." I correct myself. But we all know it doesn't matter. Everyday feels exactly the same.

In a way it's all been truly wonderful.

Just like how life is supposed to be!

(The home living part. Not the government order part. *wink)

"I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink and find satisfaction in his toil - this is a gift of God."

- Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

Did you catch that? Be happy...

Christians are not stressed or anxious during this time, as the media and our culture wants us to be.

We know that, "If God is for us who can be against us?" - Romans 8:31.

So we carry on at home, light-hearted and free from burdens.

"Despite the upheavals that several times overtook our city due to political crisis and uproar, the business of living our life, the everyday preoccupation of cooking, cleaning, looking after the house, never wavered. When Mama Odette was still with us, remember how particular she was about the flavor of her bouillabaisse or the quality of her snails, even if angry mobs were parading down the streets?"

(An excerpt from The House I loved, by Tatiana DeRosnay)

I've noticed a similar rebellious streak in myself. It seems the more the bad news ramps up, the more determined I become to live happily and peace-filled at home.

Why give them what they want? They don't have our best interests at heart.

Wasn't it John Adams who said, "The more they kill us, the more we will live!"

(Can you tell I've been doing some reading lately?)

I like to pepper little stacks of books throughout the house.

Alongside children's artwork, I think it is a charming look.

I don't chase trends in my home decor.

The houses that sparkle with the latest trends are beautiful on the surface, but that's as far as it goes.

A house where a well-rounded life can be lived, a vigorous mind can be formed, desires of the heart can be pursued, nutritious meals can be lovingly prepared and enjoyed, this is a deeply beautiful home.

And it seems to only be cultivated by doing the mundane things.

I personally believe everybody really wants this, deep down in their hearts.

"I long for rural and domestic scenes, for the warbling of birds and the prattle of my children. As much as I converse with Sages and Heroes, they have very little of my love or admiration. I should prefer the delights of a garden to the dominion of the world."

- John Adams

(Letter to Abigail Adams, 16 March 1777)

So, maybe my days aren't meaningless after all.

If you're planning your spring garden, simmering soups, and fussing over the laundry, yours aren't, either!

Some are marching in the streets, others want to change the laws... but we are building America just the same.

Through our mundanely important things.

xo,

~ Courtney ~