Finding Beauty in the Mundane
Relish in the peace.
Last night, I was watching ABC’s Killing Eve and a scene really struck a chord. Everything was piling up on Eve — she was scared, sad and lonely. She was worried that she had done something that would mean she would never be the same again. As I watched her fictional life unravel, I could feel my body tense.
Suddenly, Eve receives a phone call. It’s from a salesman selling windows. Eve’s reaction to an event so mundane, so normal, so boring, is one of relief. She immediately collapses into her bed with the phone to her ear, and asks the salesperson to tell her everything these is to know about these windows. I too felt the tension from my body release.
The things is, a lot of us dread feeling stagnant and bored. We shudder at the thought of our lives being like Groundhog Day. We want excitement and new experiences and adrenaline rushes. But there is beauty in the mundane, and we should appreciate it for what it is.
Eve wanted everything to go back to normal. Back when the nuisance of a sales call was the biggest problem she had. And it’s a universal experience — we often don’t appreciate what we have until it’s shaken up, put in a blender and splattered against a wall.
When I was going through an incredibly tumultuous time, I wanted nothing but the mundane to return. I was constantly anxious and verging on tears. In the middle of a busy shopping centre, I would watch the couples and families and friends all going about their day. I envied their boredom. Their calmness. I would have given anything for their trivial problems to be my own.
After three years of experiencing a rollercoaster of small highs and hundreds of extreme lows, I’ve learned to welcome the calm.
I’ve learned to appreciate the day-to-day activities that I used to dread, that used to make me sad with their boredom. Supermarket shops, my work commute, cooking dinner, the gym. While my life is running smoothly, I’ve become content instead of restless.
I’m lucky to go to work everyday. Sure, it can be boring a lot of the time. I would rather win the lottery and live on an island. But I’m safe. I can pay the rent and pay the bills.
Use these beautiful and underrated times of calm to:
- Realign yourself (while the waters are calm)
- Establish your goals (while the horizon is clear)
- Relish in the peace (it’s usually temporary)
- Plan for the future (while you have no distractions)
Boredom trumps fear and anxiety. Enjoy how easy it is to fall asleep, how easy it is to be creative, how able you are to stay motivated towards your goals.
Remember that everyday, thousands of people are dealing with drama, trauma and just downright horrible situations. Having your world shaken up isn’t always a good thing. Sometimes it can be a heartbreaking, terrible thing. People are waiting for test results, they’re waiting to see if their job is safe, a loved one is ill, if they’re ill, the list goes on.
“It’s the simple things in your life that make up the bulk of it. The mundane is where we live and we end up missing most of it. We find it again in the silence and in attention of everyday life.”
― Eric Overby
You may be feeling bored and that your life is uneventful, but that’s not always the worst thing. Be grateful that you currently have a clear sky and a focused mind. Use this time of clarity to think about what you want and how you will get there.
Your life will hit turbulence soon enough. Enjoy the smooth sailing while you have it.
