Plumbing the Depths of the Mundane

I posted this a few years ago on another site, but thought I'd resurrect it here, since I don't have time to write anything else right now.

As I am approaching middle age, I am finding my perspective on things is changing. It recently occurred to me that I used to spend most of my time waiting for the big things to happen in my life, and just going through the routine of living the rest of the time. But so much of our time is spent on the ordinary, the little things, just the routines of life. So why do we waste so much time waiting for the big things, the exciting things, the meaningful things to happen to really fully experience life, instead of what I call plumbing the depths of the mundane?

It seems to me that my life would be much fuller and richer if I put as much emotional energy and commitment into the small things of life as I do those "important" things. I want to savor each and every moment that I am alive. I want to embrace the little things and absorb the experience completely so that it becomes a part of my mind, my body and my spirit.

I recently started wearing sandals for the first time in a very long time, and I have spent a long time just feeling and experiencing the sensation of the wind blowing through my toes, or the dew filled grass brushing up against it. Instead of simply ignoring this, I chose to contemplate it, to try and go as deeply into even such an ordinary experience as this, and plumb its depths. It gives one an entirely different perspective on everyday living!

I usually wolf down a meal in under three minutes and rarely even taste the food that I eat. But now I am trying to slow down and look at the presentation and colors of my meal; taste the food; feel its texture on my tongue and as I swallow it; smell the aromas; in short, I am trying to take the simple act of eating and turn it into a much more profound experience.

Now there is nothing wrong with the exciting experiences in life. There are big occasions that one looks forward to and are life changing events. Wonderful events. But these are sproadic events. They do not happen all the time for most of us, at least. So I have recently felt the need to deepen the meaning of every part of my life. Life is such a short and precious commodity that it is a shame to waste it. Broadening your experiences is one way to do that. Choosing to do things that you normally don't. But if we don't deepen our lives, change our way of looking at life then it seems to me that we are still not living life to the fullest, still not seizing the day, still not raging against the dying of the light.

I feel that life is a straight line, very thin. The longer one lives, the more area we fill. If we broaden our experience, the line becomes a wider ribbon, and the area we fill is greater. But if we can deepen our experiences then we fill a greater volume in our lives. I want to fill the greatest volume I can while I live this life!