Ordinary, On Purpose

Alice Ranker
18 hours ago
2 min read

I remember when I was a young mom, people would love to tell me, “The days are long, but the years are short.” I would smile and nod. I could even see their point, I believed it. But, if I’m honest, I didn’t really know what they were saying.

How could I? I hadn’t lived enough life to look back. Back then, I was just trying to get through the sleepless nights.

Without thinking about it, I have become the one saying those same words to parents with young children.

Now, I’m in midlife. And, I have the gift of looking back almost as much as looking forward. And I’ve noticed something from this side of life. Many of the years that passed, I was on autopilot.

Not intentionally. Just drifting.

This occurred to me recently. The drifting… It caused me to wonder, how much of my life have I actually chosen? And how much have I simply moved though?

Somewhere over the last decade I discovered the power of intentionality. Not the kind that tells us to do more. Or to become more productive. Or even to squeeze one more thing into an already full day. Rather the kind that simply asks us to wake up and notice, to choose.

It’s about awareness. Awareness of how and with whom I spend my time.

Awareness of my energy.

Awareness of my resources.

Awareness of the moments that quietly become a life.

We can’t slow time. I don’t think that’s the point. I think the invitation is to be here, to notice, to choose. To live this ordinary day…on purpose.