Yesterday as I was making my bed, I noticed I was doing it more attentively.
Smoothing edges. Tucking corners. Fluffing pillows. Making sure the comforter was in place, just right.
As I did it, I felt an awakening to something that I don’t usually feel when I am making my bed.
I felt joy. There was something in the action of making my bed that gave me joy.
Routines.
I am noticing that doing simple things like making my bed, washing the dishes, wiping countertops, and walking the dog holds a bit more of something. Each seems to carry greater meaning than it has before.
Normally these same actions feel mundane. Boring. An intrusion into all that I would rather do with my time on that particular day. Instead, in this time of disruption, these routines are offering me gifts.
Structure. Order. Comfort. Meaning. Self-care.
Keeping routines is bringing familiarity to my day and a sense that, in the midst of this crazy disruption there are some things that stay normal.
These routines also feel like spiritual practices. As I allow myself to be fully present to doing simple things, I experience God with me. In the midst of the ordinary God is gifting me with an awareness of how these chores are infused with meaning and have something to offer me in my not so normal days.
What are you noticing about your own routines? Is there a gift for you in the labor of the ordinary?
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Vicki is a spiritual director, supervisor, and instructor with Sustainable Faith School of Spiritual Direction. She offers services online and in person at Kavanna House, a spiritual formation center in York PA. She has a D. Min. in Leadership and Spiritual Formation from Portland Seminary.