We never know what is around the corner in life. We can think we do. We can have a plan. A whole, shiny future containing x, y and z. An all but certainty mapped right out in our mind’s eye. We can feel completely sure that that’s how it’s all going to unfold. We can sit back and luxuriate, confident about how it’s all going to look. That house. That partner. That job. Those children, or travels or experiences that will make up our lives. They are never really in doubt.
Good cosmic spanners. A promotion overseas. A surprise pregnancy. A kismet filled meeting with someone new. A welcome but unexpected pile of sparkly fairy dust blowing its way into our life.
Bad cosmic spanners. People die. Emigrate. Betray. Abandon. Redundancies happen. Jobs change. Industries change. Houses break. Health crisis happen. Shit happens. A tornado of shite can unexpectedly blow through your life laying waste to the most well-laid plans, leaving nothing but dust in its wake.
And we can’t know when a cosmic spanner is about to hit. All we can do is know that we have the resources within us to handle it when it does. It may not feel like we do, but we do. We can dig deeper than we ever thought was possible when the tornado does hit landfall. We are more resilient than we know or than we may want to be. That strength is there. We can call on it if we really have to. We can batten down the hatches and bail, bail, bail for our lives when we need to and the Force 9 intensity storm touches down. If we are lucky, we will have some good friends who will stand shoulder to shoulder with us and match our efforts bucket for bucket.
And so, in the meantime, what should we do? Bad stuff can happen. We are not maybe as secure as we think we are. However, we should absolutely not worry about cosmic spanners, good or bad. They will come regardless. And we need to trust we have the strength to overcome if and when they do. Instead, we should take our focus to the nuts and bolts of everyday life. The tiny stuff. I cannot help but feel that the happiest way forward is to lean hard into joy. Lean much, much harder into the moments of joy and comfort accessible in every ordinary day that passes.
We do not, and indeed cannot, protect ourselves from future grief or loss by waiting for the other shoe to drop. Anticipating or worrying about whether that thing will happen or not does not stop it happening. Fearing loss does nothing to prevent future pain, it just sucks a little more joy out of today.
The moments that seem insignificant are actually truly more significant than the big win. The very fabric of our joy is woven from small everyday moments of fairy dust. The spontaneous and shared smile. The easy park. The light through the trees. The effortless fit of familiar hand in hand. We need to lean harder into these seemingly inconsequential moments of everyday joy.
Relish every bit of pleasure. Notice it. Amplify it. Take less for granted. Lean hard. Much, much harder into the joy that is already around us. We cannot know what is around the corner so let’s make today everything it can be.
Let’s make the ordinary more special.
If you liked this blog, you will lovelovelove my Coaching Academy.
Smart, practical tools that you can download, put into practice and get support and accountability as you up-level your wellbeing in an amazing community of like-minded women. Create a life you love, and a body you love living in and enjoy wellbeing without the overwhelm – just click here to join and I’ll see you inside!
