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Living a writerly life means noticing the small things, the things others would miss, and writing about them. I am a creature of habit. Every morning I wake up and eat a bowl of cheerios with milk. Satisfying. Eating my breakfast out of my favorite bowl makes it sweeter.
What is it about a specific bowl? The yellow color makes me smile. The bowl is a perfect shape. It holds just the right amount of cereal. It's sturdy and it does it's job well. It fits. Just the right size...not too big, not too small, like Goldilocks. My perfect bowl.
This reminded me of a book I read twenty years ago...Everyday Sacred by Sue Bender. My memory of this book reminds me to find the miraculous in the ordinary. I remember that the bowl represents us, me. I am the bowl. It's about stopping. Noticing. It's about gratitude. Nourishment. (This is a twenty year old memory of this book, so I may be completely wrong with the details, but these are the memories I carry with me. I'll be rereading this book soon.)
A bowl. My bowl. When I see that it's clean and waiting for my breakfast, I feel special. I smile. A perfect start to the day, like getting green lights on the drive into work.
Life is about the small moments. Noticing them. Appreciating them. Allowing those moments to nourish us and become part of who we are. I've been noticing my favorite yellow bowl for months now. This story has been floating around in my head. What makes me a writer is today I sat down and shared that story with you.
Look at your bowl of cereal or your mug of coffee. What do you see? Nourishment. Joy. Tiny miracles...
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| My favorite coffee mug |
Gah! This is awesome and stirred up all kinds of memories of favorites! Your writing is getting better and better (and I always liked it).
ReplyDeleteThat bowl, that mug! I love them. I love thinking about you getting ready for your day.
ReplyDeleteNotice, it all starts with that one word. Keep noticing and writing.
ReplyDeleteHi Goldilocks. Funny how a simple ritual can be all we need. Mine is frothed milk in my coffee each morning. The ritual of heating and frothing is automatic and sacred all at the same time. Thanks for the reminder to notice the little things.
ReplyDeleteMy sister gave me a ceramic bowl for Christmas this year. The potter donates a portion of the proceeds from each bowl to a hunger project. I eat my oatmeal from this bowl every owning, just to remind myself of my sister and the less fortunate.
ReplyDeleteAmen to noticing. Thanks for the reminder. Your post made me see memories and real-world objects, in a new way, as hyperlinks. When your mind clicks on that favorite bowl -- you (and we) are launched into a book from 20 years ago.
ReplyDeleteThe ordinary and solidness of an everyday object. It grounds us. It is a starting point. It offers sameness and with that the ability to go forth to find new. We always can come back to that same solid space after venturing out and beyond to be grounded again. Beautiful post Michelle. Thank you for your inspiration.
ReplyDeleteI love that you wrote about your bowl, an idea I'm going to write down, Michelle. There are a number of bowls in my cabinets that are special, ordinary, but mine to love. You've shown us that miracle of noticing here. Now I can imagine those cheerios, that bowl and you in the am, readying for the day1 Thanks!
ReplyDeleteYour special bowl and cup - it's lovely to begin each day with extraordinary ordinariness.
ReplyDeleteI have a favorite bowl, too! I love eating a bowl of cereal out of it in the morning. I'm going to have to find EVERY DAY SACRED (both the book and the presence). Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI have to drink my coffee out of the same mug every morning. Heaven forbid if it ever breaks!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how we have these favorite objects, but never really pause to consider why they are our favorite. Thank you for this reminder to notice the tiny miracles that are everywhere.
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