MUNDANE JOY
"Whatever you do, whether it is eating or drinking or anything else, do it all to bring honor to the Great Spirit. Walk softly in a manner that will not offend Tribal Members or Wisdom Seekers or anyone who belongs to the sacred family of the Great Spirit." 1 Corinthians 10:31-32 (FNV)
There are a couple of things that happen when I'm not consistently working. I get horribly depressed, and I stop doing things.
I am currently reading and working through the book, We Need Your Art, by Amie McNee. Her challenges and prompts are, well, CHALLENGING. In fact, one of the first assignments in the book, as it relates to me, is to take only five photographs every day for two weeks, and choose your two favorites to post.
I failed. For two reasons. One, I feel guilty enjoying the pleasures of being a professional photographer when it isn't earning money, and two, I am not inspired to take photos because I'm not sitting in the the presence of Creator and letting Him create through me.
The book clearly reminds the reader to start again at this point if they failed the first time. I suppose that means that many of us do. I mentioned it to my roommate. Yesterday, she mentioned something about my two week challenge and I snarkily replied that I wasn't going to start again. My whiney depressed head asked, "What's the point?"
Clearing my head and just getting dressed and out the door to walk my dog while carrying my camera was all I needed to remind myself that I'm called to do this, whether I feel like it or not, that it is my responsibility to give it back to my Creator, all of it, the good, the bad and the ugly. Even what Amie refers to as "cringe art."
Ducks. I love ducks. Mostly because many years ago on a road trip with my girls, we were tired, hot, and hungry, and my middle daughter saw a yellow street sign with black ducks on it and said "Duck crossing, that's good news." We all burst out laughing. The mundane just became a source of mundane joy. Yesterday, I took five pictures of ducks. And one of them even played peek-a-boo with me. And that begins my two week challenge of five photographs a day.
Today, it's laundry hanging in the sunshine. Don't you just love the smell of laundry that has dried on the line? Mundane joy.
Do everything unto Him, eating, drinking, chores, and look for the mundane joy. Use your senses, or even just be conscious of them. A bright teal head popping out of nowhere. The smell of sunshine dried laundry. A funny something that comes out of a child's mouth.
I guess what I am learning in this journey between work and career, shooting pictures for money or pictures for the pure art of experience, is that being present is a gift in and of itself. Just being present and finding mundane joy.
Love you.
 |
P.S. I have quoted a verse from the First Nations Version of the New Testament. For those of you who may not care for it, let this be a good time to look it up for yourself in your Bible and allow the words to minister to you from there. :-) I will always encourage you getting into the Word for yourselves!
Comments
Post a Comment