I want to start off by saying—I have never successfully written through an entire diary, journal, or any sort of bound book with blank pages in it. For a self-proclaimed writer, that is pretty embarrassing to admit.
When I was younger, my goal was to capture every moment of daily life in the most dramatic way possible. This often resulted in overly-romanticized accounts of my not-so-romantic life as a 12-year-old.
I would start a new journal and would vow to finish it, to write in it until all was left was nothing but my own words staring back at me. This commitment would soon fade as I always grew disillusioned with my rather normal life. No amount of “fluff” could change that. Looking back, what I find most amusing, is that no one, besides myself, read my diaries. So, I wonder, who was I trying to impress? Future archeologists who might stumble upon my prepubescent musings? I don’t think so. I was simply trying to—deceivingly—impress myself.
Although, at 24, I am still unable to keep an actual diary, I have learned that life does not need to be hopelessly romantic in order to be romantic. An average day can still hold treasures galore. In fact, most lives lived happily and fully are lived by average people. That’s me. That’s probably you, too.
I apologize if I sound pessimistic, by labeling us as average. I don’t mean we are average in the sense that there is nothing special about us. Rather that our lust for big, shiny lives often eclipses the weightiness of our mundane moments. These are the moments that make us more-than-average and that point us to a more-than-average way of living. I’m hoping I can use this digital diary (of sorts) to highlight all the thoughts and truths I come across as I go about my day to day as a Christian, wife, and mom.
Life will seem insignificant only until we realize it is a tool in the hands of God to prepare us for eternity. And that, dear diary, is anything but average.
Here’s to living in light of eternity.
“It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.” J.R.R Tolkien
“The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest.” Thomas Moore