Those Sustaining Little Moments
Finding Joy in the Middle of Life's Monotony
I hope you all are having a great July!
Recently, my younger brother started his first job at the little coffee shop that our church owns. He’s very intellectual, and while he doesn’t mind interacting with others, he finds it a little difficult to find his place, especially when most of the people he works with are girls he has a hard time talking to.
I can sense and see his frustrations at times, and I’ve heard from him of his struggles to find joy in working, even if it’s a job that’s less than enjoyable at times.
It’s made me think about what I’ve done in the past and what I continue to do when it comes to difficult jobs. As I’ve reflected, I’ve come to acknowledge that these practices have also generally applied to life.
It’s a simple matter of romanticizing your life and finding the little things that will add value in the moments that really count.
I’ve often heard it’s unhealthy to romanticize your life, as it can lead to unrealistic expectations that everything has to fit a specific aesthetic or vision that you may have for said life. Moderation is key, of course, but without that romanticization, you’ll be faced with the bitter and unpleasant reality of the monotony of your life.
This was a fear I had as I was graduating college with my undergrad and entering the workforce. “But if I’m just working 8 to 5, 8 to 5, 8 to 5, that’s going to get so old, so quickly…” And it’s true.
How often, though, do we watch those slice-of-life scenes in movies like those from Studio Ghibli and enjoy seeing the protagonist go about her daily tasks? We enjoy watching Sofie clean the castle, Shizuku going to study in the library, and Horikoshi drafting airplane blueprints. If they were real-life characters, they would grumble about the monotony, too, I can assure you.
Just how do you romanticize your life? It’s not that difficult, surprisingly. Go on walks and pay special attention to the scenery. Take pictures so that when you scroll back through your camera roll, you’re reminded of a time when you could just stop and think. Make your favorite meal, or try to make a new dessert. Journal about your day or about a prompt that’s inspiring to you.
The biggest thing? Share your gratitude. Whether you speak it out loud to another person or write about it, having gratitude in your life directs your focus from things out of your control to things in your control. You can choose to dwell on your overbearing boss, or you could stop to enjoy a hobby, making something that only you could make.
Maybe this is why when the Holy Spirit inspired those who penned the Bible, He chose specific things that He wanted anyone to live with. These admonitions can be found in the phrase “for this is the will of God…”
1 Thessalonians 5:18 says, “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” This passage encourages us to exercise gratitude in all situations. We can pause at any moment and find more than a few things to be grateful for.
This leads to the other point that I learned was so necessary for my life — the little things in life.
These little things can add variety, even if that variety is small. Odds are, the things you enjoy or smile at are unique to you. While you may have friends who share interests, there are some special things that are unique to you.
Find those things and add them intentionally to your life. Odds are, you’ll find yourself enjoying your days more.
In the 23 years I’ve been alive, these are the things I’ve added to my life that make it enjoyable:
I tend to go overtime at work because I lock in and struggle to pull myself from my responsibilities. In my job, there are always more things to be done. Because of this, I set a timer for myself that goes off at 5:00. It used to be just a regular timer, but now, it’s the Final Fantasy VII victory theme, which makes me feel like I’ve completed a major accomplishment by finishing another work day.
Once a week, I work to create a journal spread using something called polcos (self-made Polaroids) of my favorite anime characters. Decorating the pages is a fun activity in itself. I then pick from a little bucket of writing prompts and write about that prompt. This activity is helpful because I practice mindfulness in all sorts of areas of my life, and it helps me practice creativity.
I like to collect bookmarks and postcards from every bookstore and place that I visit. They’re fun ways to decorate a simple space, don’t cost too much, and still bring up happy memories.
I don’t crochet nearly as much as I used to, but lately, I’ve been working to crochet some things specifically for my future home. Whether I live alone or am married, I’ll have things that my younger self made with a happy home in mind.
When I work on my schoolwork, I always listen to music of some kind, and I’ve taken to listen to Ace Attorney, Professor Layton, and Fullmetal Alchemist soundtracks. It fills me with motivation, as I feel like I’m doing important research to work on a case or solve a mystery, and it’s a really fun feeling.
I’ve been taking to gardening recently, which makes me feel both hardcore and like a little garden fairy. I’m in a lifelong battle with nature’s elements, tending to my plants to keep them from being dried out by the heat or consumed by grasshoppers. And when little sprouts come up, it’s so extremely rewarding! I’ve found that fruits and vegetables are a little more precise, but I’ve been able to cultivate houseplants and flower bushes pretty well!
All of this is done so that I can live life to the fullest. I believe that I won’t be at this stage of my life forever. I don’t believe I’ll be working 40 hours a week for the rest of my life. And even if I do, it won’t look the same as it does now. I want to spend this time developing my skills and finding things that I enjoy. Even if things don’t go well (like my dead strawberry crops), I can be sure that I don’t have to live my life regretting that I never gave things a shot just because I had a full schedule.
Keep an eye out for those little things that make you smile. Keep them in your life and cherish them when you have the time. They help to define a portion of who you are. Those things help make life worth living.