There is something endlessly endearing about people who find joy in the little things. The people who live with a grateful heart. The people who are constantly amazed by aspects of life that typically go unnoticed in today’s society. I am currently writing this thousands of miles in the air in a seat in the sky. It sounds crazy, right? It sounds incredible! As you have gathered, I am currently on a plane. However, people do not see the miraculousness that I, a human being, am currently flying through the air, while simultaneously writing a blog post, and not fearing for my life.
Louis C.K. had a standup bit that talked about how “everything is amazing, and no one is happy.” Well, that sounds pretty shitty, doesn’t it? Sure it does; however, there is some truth to it. He goes on to talk about aspects of life that are absolutely incredible, but we get boggled down with the little negative components that sometimes are there as well. Louis C.K. mentioned it, and it is what prompted this post: flying. Tonight after everyone was on the plane, and forty minutes after we were supposed to take off, we hadn’t moved an inch. In fact, the pilot told us that they had just started to load our luggage onto the plane. The man next to me was surely regretting the drinks he had before, because he couldn’t stop fidgeting to try and appease his aching bladder. This led me to start thinking that I had to pee. Knowing that I could convince myself that I, in fact, was about to pee my pants, I quickly returned to my book my mom gave me right before I left, The Bassoon King, by Rainn Wilson. Reading his tale of growing up nerdy, when nerdy was in no way a good thing, helped pass the time. Regardless, I was still questioning what was taking so long. I should have been halfway to Jacksonville by now, and I haven’t moved. There were two women behind me that kept talking about how delayed our flight was, and how it was crazy and upsetting, and how they could not believe the situation. They were frustrated, and me being a notorious eavesdropper, I was hearing their frustrations, and started feeling them myself. Again, I pushed my nose back into my book, and wished I could have attended the one performance that Rainn Wilson and his band, Collected Moss, had done. Nearly an hour after we were supposed to set off, we backed out of the gate, made our way to the runway and…got delayed for another fifteen minutes. But, after those fifteen minutes, we took to the sky and flew through the air. Flew through the air. Think about it. Think about the last time you flew on a plane. I am currently thousands of miles in the sky, barreling across America hundreds of miles per hour, am more stable than I am in a car, and here I was getting frustrated because it was taking longer than expected to load our luggage. Everything is amazing, and yet no one is happy. Father Mike brought up Louis C.K. and his bit and did a sermon on it, which I then listened to again to help me try to understand how amazing circumstances do not lead to happiness. Father Mike said, “We live ordinary lives because there is no wonder.” There is so much to be excited about in this world, but we barrel through it for the sake of our own agenda, we don’t get to sit back and enjoy it. There is no wonder that people are not captivated by life. No wonder people are not as happy as they could be. No wonder people are not grateful. No wonder we live ordinary lives. No wonder there is no wonder. God does not call us to be ordinary. God calls us to be extraordinary. He wants us to pursue a life we enjoy, are captivated by, and are in love with. God calls us to live a wonderful life. A life full of wonder. If we do, there we will find happiness. Albert Einstein broke the ways we can live into two categories: as if nothing is a miracle, and as if everything is a miracle. Glass half empty versus glass half full. Henry Miller said, “Don’t look for miracles. You yourself are the miracle.” The fact that you are living, breathing, and even existing is a miracle, because the fact of the matter is…you didn’t have to. Sounds harsh, but it is true. God picked you and put you on this earth, and that is a miracle in itself. He did not and will not ever need us. He chose us, and that’s pretty miraculous. Be thankful for the chance to live out a miracle, and be intentional about witnessing others in your life. Live with a grateful heart, and there will be no wonder why you are full of wonder. Now, let me be the first to say, obviously I am going to get frustrated again, I will be angry, I will be sad, I will be a whole range of emotions again that are not happy. Hey, I’m only human. However, in certain circumstances, take a step back and look at what is separating you from happiness, and question if it is worth your time, mind, or heart. Live intentionally, love unconditionally, give thanks without relenting, and wonder without ceasing. Always, Molly P.S. Now, I’m sitting here writing this while sipping a Bloody Kentucky (a Bloody Mary with whiskey instead of vodka), because the man who was eager to use the bathroom ordered one, and the steward (is that the correct term for a male counterpart to a stewardess?) said it was on him due to the delay. Hey, can’t complain about that one. Glass is literally half full.
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AuthorJust a twenty-something attempting to create the illusion that I have a clue what's going on... Archives
May 2017
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