Excitement about the Mundane

I've realized over the past couple of weeks that life has seemed a little ho-hum. You know, it's just that every day in and out repetition that doesn't change. On the one hand, it's exactly what I have wanted - to be able to be at home on a daily basis to have the opportunity to maintain my home and be diligent with the kids' schooling. But on the other hand, there are days when it gets mundane. There are days when there seems to be no variation, no excitement, no celebration. It's not necessarily a drudgery, but it's not very motivating either.

This morning as I was walking and talking with Doug, I was able to pinpoint that this describes how I've been feeling lately. Doug and I prayed together over it all, asking for a renewed devotion to the every day tasks God has called us to.

It's funny how He answers prayers like that. The answers usually come in small, sometimes almost unnoticeable ways. Today the answer came through Steven. I've mentioned before that Steven finds great joy in helping with laundry and vacuuming. Well, this morning I asked him if he wanted to help me load the washing machine. He said yes. We went into the laundry room, and he began cackling with delight at the whole process of moving wet clothes from the washer into the dryer. It was nothing out of the ordinary, but it was just that sweet little reminder of just how greatly the attitude we put into the mundane influences our enjoyment of it.

We live our lives with a whole bunch of daily sameness and a few spikes of great excitement. The truth of the matter is that those moments of excitement are created because of the diligence in the mundane moments. If I don't go through the day after day routine of leading our family to keep up with their chores, I don't see moments of Olivia teaching Steven his shapes through the process of doing chores. If I don't maintain diligence in teaching my kids each day, I don't get to hear them pretending that their Frosties are Greece and Persia. Yes, those moments of excitement might come a little less frequently than I might like, but they are truly worth the effort of the mundane.

So, I'm accepting my lesson from little Steven - even laundry can be a great and exciting thing! Think I can remember that tomorrow as I'm folding and putting away the three loads that are waiting for me?