Considering these posts come around at the same time every month, I could (and maybe should) plan my thoughts out ahead of time. But each month I find myself waiting for inspiration to strike amidst monotonous corporate days. Inevitably something semi-interesting will happen, I think, or something will stir inside of me that feels like it needs to be said. But lately, many of my daily life things don’t feel significant enough to write about.
This past month I’ve spent hibernating after being maid of honor in my best friend’s wedding. The couple was engaged for almost two full years before the wedding day (after postponing because of Covid), and the resulting buildup to the big day was a journey for us all. The opportunity to plan important moments and be present with my people to celebrate love was such an incredible gift and simultaneously completely exhausting.
The weekend after the wedding, I barely left my apartment. Friday night was spent chopping vegetables and gathering various ingredients for gourmet mac & cheese. I rarely cook these days—the excellence of Trader Joe’s single-serving meals saves me from regularly needing to—but there was something grounding about prepping vegetables, dedicating an hour or so of effort into creating a meal I could enjoy.
On Saturday morning I prepared my favorite omelet to accompany my hazelnut coffee. I talked to a friend, walked six miles, took an hour nap, and read my book. I watched a couple hours of the newest dating show on Netflix (The Ultimatum is a whole new level of dumpster fire), and felt no guilt for my binge-watching of trash television.
On Sunday, I took my dog on our favorite hike in the morning. The trees were all starting to bloom, the lake water sparkling. We saw several bird watchers capturing images of a bald eagle and its two eaglets, met a corgi named Badger, and soaked up some much-needed sunshine. In the afternoon, I cleaned the pollen off my porch so I could safely enjoy it without sneezing, drank iced tea and played Scrabble.
On Ben Rector’s new album, The Joy of Music, there is a very chill jazzy song called Hanging Out. In between Kenny G’s epic saxophone solos, Ben sings that lately, he’s been “living a life you don’t write songs about,” and that is exactly how I’ve felt these past few weeks.
After the celebration and chaos and sleeplessness of the best wedding weekend, my body was screaming at me to slow down, and my soul is so grateful I found the space to do so. Sometimes the things that bring me the most life don’t feel significant or interesting enough to write stories about, but these moments are also when I feel most connected to my Creator and to why I’m here in the first place. Enjoying time with nature and the people I’ve been given to love does not always result in instagrammable moments, but it’s in the free space of just hanging out where I begin to feel like a person again. And I suppose being a person is always an experience worth writing about.
Olivia graduated from Calvin in May 2018 with a double major in business and writing. She now works as an editor in Nashville, Tennessee and is eating her way through the restaurants of her new town. She enjoys weekend trips with friends, petting other people’s dogs, and drinking coffee like a Gilmore Girl.
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Amen! So wise. 🙂
Love it!
❤️
My body has been screaming too and I am finally listening. That in itself, is a beautiful thing!!