A Month in the Country 26 - What Do You Say When You've Got Nothing to Say?

I can hear voices (particularly of my Yorkshire friends) at this very moment, who would be shouting - 'If you've now't to say - then say that!!'

It's difficult to find something to say here that I think might be of interest to even one other person on a daily basis - for the fact is that most people that I know  (very much including myself) lead mostly uneventful lives, most of the time. Our personas on social media would have the world think otherwise - aren't we all just having the adventures of our lives, every single minute, in the company of other glamorous and  entertaining characters? I wonder sometimes how we even have the time to sleep!!

But of course, we are not  really like that, are we?  Many of my days are similar to others, the same routines, the same little rituals - and there is often a neglected satisfaction and comfort in that. Perhaps in allowing ourselves to recognise the similarly mundane life that most of us, by and large, live, we give ourselves the freedom to relate in a simple but effective way to others. When I was training as a counsellor, we discussed the fact that we may, on occasion, be perceived as 'the expert' in someone else's life…to which our wise Tutor advised us to not pretend to be that Expert, but 'just be ordinary' - stay humble and relate purely on a person to person basis - with what you have in common ordinary-ness. This sometimes includes just sitting - and  saying nothing.

So today - a simple toast: to the mundane, the predictable, the ordinary; to appreciating the value and even luxury of lives lived without waiting for the next drama, fear or threat on the horizon that many other citizens of the planet live with on a daily basis…and to trusting that you WILL find something to say if you just put your fingers to the keyboard and start to write, not always knowing where it will lead you!

Journal prompt. Keep a notebook by your side for the waking hours of one day:  write down what you are doing at hourly intervals. Notice how ordinary you have been - reflect on what it feels like to be 'just ordinary'

Right now, set a timer for ten minutes and just write - a reflection of what I have commented upon in this post or on the first thoughts that come into your head. Did you surprise yourself with what ended up on paper or the screen??

Comments

[Claire]

I'm a great believer in the sacredness of the ordinary... just waking each morning is a splendid gift to be celebrated! Hooray for the 'ordinary' - which is anything but :)