Finding meaning in the ordinary

We all find the routines of our lives to be quite ordinary, quite mundane and simply…quite boring.

It feels like there is really nothing to look forward to in life, it’s as though we can predict the motions of the day without really much effort. And that’s when life becomes a routine – a chore, an idle, static space which gives no meaning to our existence.

I am writing down all these things as I continue on my tour in Europe. The journey so far has been quite an-eye opener, interesting and quite unexpected in a certain sense. In fact if I could sum up this trip (though it’s not over yet but I feel I already know the ending anyway!), it would be just one thing : Unexpectedly Unpredictable.

And that’s when earlier today when I was waiting for my train to come, I began to think about my routine life back at home. Just a few night before, I was sharing with my girlfriend on how my life was back home, and how I would deal with certain things. We were talking about this in light of the unexpected events that unfolded during this trip.

And it got me thinking about how I missed my routine life. It wasn’t that I found my routine life to be a super exciting journey ; I too have my ups and downs, my hectic-pressured moments that sometimes I too wonder “when it will all end?” Somehow just sitting down idly in the Parisian and London streets over the last couple of days made me think about my own life.

And it made me realise that I do love my life, despite the difficulties and challenges that I face whether it’s with work or family or friends. Sure there will be difficulties, sure at times my life may appear mundane, but sometimes, it’s in the ordinary stuff that I have learnt to find meaning.

And when I refer to meaning, I don’t mean some “eureka” or “Jerry Maguire Epiphany” moment. This trip made me realise how fortunate in a way I am. Fortunate in a sense to have a strong faith and belief in a God whom I know cares deeply about me. (I had experienced this while attending the French masses here). Fortunate that my anchor in Christ and in my faith is strong (My girlfriend often comments and compliments me on this).

While others may dread their jobs, to me, I love what I do. I am passionate about my job and the challenge as well as the opportunities that it brings (I just learnt that the piece of work I had recently completed for my project has garnered interest from other projects overseas). I have a family that supports and love me very much despite the struggles and hardships that we go through together. I feel fortunate and blessed to have an understanding girlfriend who cares for me deeply (The best thing about her is the fact that we can see things eye to eye and we are on the same wavelength on major important life issues).

If I look at what I have written above, yes it may seem like I have it all. But at the same time, one can also look at it and think it’s quite mundane.

There is nothing exciting about my life.

However I tend to disagree with this statement. From my university days I have always held the belief that life is what we make out of it. Do I think I live an ordinary life? On the outside yes, it certainly looks so, but in my world, I do find my purpose and my meaning in what I want to do, and what I plan to achieve.

We may think that life is boring and dull. But it’s through that mundaneness that we find meaning and a sense of purpose. It gives us something to look forward to, something familiar that we can hold on to and build upon in this world of vagueness and empty promises. It’s through those daily grinding over time, we find some sort of meaning, maybe not directly ; like I said earlier, you wouldn’t probably have an epiphany at work, but over time, by doing the same thing over and over again, you will realise that life…the meaning of life can actually be found in the ordinary. And yes it changes, just as life is a dynamic state of everyone’s existence, our meaning and our association with life will change over time, as we age and mature and as we encounter different scenarios and situations in our lives. The important thing I feel is to always take that time to reflect and to think and to use clues from our mundaneness to answer them.