Today I wanted to write a post about what we take for granted. I think that often we are looking for a miracle, feeling down and looking for something that is really going to make us happy in life and in hoping for a miracle or searching for happiness in things, we forget to acknowledge the miracle and sacredness that is ordinary, everyday life.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this these days and have been wanting to sit and write about not taking our lives for granted and the people in our lives for granted too. If there is someone in your life who has made a difference, who makes you happy, or who you love or appreciate, TELL THEM! Let them know while you are with them and they are still there.

I think that so many times we take the people in our lives for granted too. We neglect to notice the goodness and kindness of others and the effect that they have on our lives. I feel this way about my kids and especially my husband. He is always so supportive of me and always so loving. He loves every part of me and loves me through all of my female craziness. Even though we are busy raising our family, we always make sure to spend time together or at least tell each other that we love each other. It is always great to know that you are loved and it also feels great to tell someone that you love them too.

I love when my little girls tell me that they love me. It is so sweet to hear. It even shocks me sometimes because I often think that I am not such a good wife or mother because I can’t do everything perfectly or don’t find enough time in my day to love everyone in my family the way that I want to. Some days I am just way too tired to do anything fun or read that bedtime story and I feel bad about it. But hearing that little voice say “I love you” reminds me that life isn’t about perfection, but about love. They don’t judge me the way that I do, they see me and love me for who I am and all that I do do for them and for our family.

So today I wanted to list some of the ordinary things that I think many of us take for granted and ask you to turn your attention to them and recognize how amazing the ordinary really is. When we take the time to slow down, pause and be conscious of the miracle that is life, we really have to search no further for happiness or for anything more. The ordinary is sacred.

Even when nothing particularly special is going on, you can still chose to be grateful for any one of these ordinary, everyday things.

~Being able to see. Take in the blue sky, the green leaves or anything else you wish to gaze upon. Sight is miraculous.

~ Being able to walk.

~ Being able to talk and communicate your thoughts, soul or spirit to another.

~ Being able to think and to chose what you want to put in your mind via books, music, media etc.

~ Having running water and fresh drinking water.

~ Taking a hot shower or bath.

~ Freedom. Being free to go outside and not feel as though your life may be threatened. Living in a relatively free and peaceful country.

~ Being in good health. Most people don’t notice the days when their body is in good health and is running and functioning for them all the time. Take a minute to pause and feel your heartbeat! It has been doing that for you since you were still in the womb.

~ Breathing. We are always, at every moment being breathed. Breath is a divine substance, the gift of life. Fresh air is also so pure and energizing.

~ Feeling the warmth of the sun on your face from 93 million miles away. Even though it is so far away, it rises every morning and gives life to everything on our planet. We couldn’t exist without it.

~ Having hands. We use our hands all the time to do everything and we don’t even ever think about it.

~ Having a warm home to live in. Feeling cozy and comfortable, not cold or wet or afraid.

~ Having a bed to sleep in and being able to get a good night’s sleep.

~ Having a fridge, stove, kitchen table, chairs, couch, etc.

~ Having a toothbrush! I am all about good oral hygiene. Don’t know what I would do without it. Toothpaste too!

~ Having food, feeling nourished and being able to share a meal with friends or family. So many people are battling eating disorders or searching for the right diet so that they can be at the peak of health or some certain weight when we should instead be happy that we even have food and have the time to think about different diets! Be grateful for the fact that we live with such abundance.

~ Clothes!

~ Having lights and electricity. We take this for granted all the time.

~ Having a phone, camera, or any other gadget that you use daily.

~ Being able to hear. Hearing the birds sing, listening to good music, hearing your children laugh and play.

~ Being at your computer right now. Having the world at your fingertips. The ability to connect with people who are thousands of miles away or even halfway across the world.

~ Being able to love. Each of us can at any time chose to shift our perspective, see the positive and make the conscious choice to love life and to love those who are in our lives.

“People usually consider walking on water or in thin air a miracle. But I think the real miracle is not to walk either on water or in thin air, but to walk on earth. Every day we are engaged in a miracle which we don’t even recognize: a blue sky, white clouds, green leaves, the black, curious eyes of a child — our own two eyes. All is a miracle.” ― Thich Nhat Hanh

“The sacred is in the ordinary….it is to be found in one’s daily life, in one’s neighbors, friends, and family, in one’s own backyard…travel may be flight from confronting the sacred–this lesson can be easily lost. To be looking elsewhere for miracles is to me a sure sign of ignorance that everything is miraculous. ― Abraham Harold Maslow

“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” ― Albert Einstein

“Someone else is happy with less than what you have”