The Wisdom of Ordinary Things
If this minivan could talk...
Your wisest teachers are closer than you realize.
When you are intentionally engaged in a journey of healing and growing, how often do you receive suggestions about something you need to pay attention to? Something that will expand your consciousness or transform your relationship or improve your parenting or enhance the work you do?
Very often, right?
The invitations are everywhere. Listen to this podcast. Watch this video. Read this book. Follow this expert. Try this practice. Go to this place.
But here’s what most people don’t realize: you are already in the presence of some of your wisest teachers. They are already in your life. Everyday. All around you. In the form of the most ordinary things.
If This Van Could Talk
This past week, after 14 years, we bid farewell to our trusted minivan, a baby blue 2004 Honda Odyssey. His name was Curtis Destiny. Which sounds a bit like a Chippendales stripper or something (Go ahead, I dare you to click the link). But, in fact, it was a name my kids came up with years ago when the oldest was ten. It was catchy. So the name stuck.
This van gave us the ride of our lives, and we are thrilled to pass it on to someone who will no doubt love it well and use it to love others well. Even at two decades plus, it’s got a lot of life left in it!
If this van could talk—oh, the stories it would tell about…
Drops offs and pickups for school, sports, lessons, and play dates.
Everyday errands to the grocery store, park outings, Americanos grabs, date nights, hospice visits, very reluctant Home Depot runs, and, near the end, teenage outings.
Cross-country adventures from Albuquerque to Niagara Falls, Portland to San Francisco, Chicago to Rhode Island, and our move from Seattle to Milwaukee.
Goldfish crumbs and stale french fries, flat soda and half-empty cans of LaCroix, pizza pickups, carryout orders, tailgating feasts, and even a few valeted fine-dining experiences.
It would tell, too, of the sing-a-longs and dance parties, naps and meditations, screen-time limits and fights, laughter and tears, and all of the conversations remembering the past and planning for the future.
It could go on and on and on about all of these experiences we had together…
Actually, Curtis IS sharing stories on his very own Instagram account.
But Curtis Destiny would have even deeper insights to share―if I asked it.
Because this van has been steadily present to the intertwined lives of five beings. This vehicle has been a constant as five particular humans have found their way through the world. This ordinary thing has witnessed our transformation from who we were to who we are becoming.
And so, if we pay attention, it can tell us of:
The faithful ways we’ve fostered friendship and weaved community, wherever we are.
The playfulness and joy that we bravely commit to again and again even in difficult times.
The courage it took to leave our beloved home in one city and create a new one across the country.
The willingness to unlearn what no longer serves us or others, and learn what we need to in order to be conduits of love.
The bold risks we’ve taken and perseverance we’ve exercised in following our dreams.
Indeed this ordinary thing is not just a minivan.
It is a wise witness to our unfoldment.
Amidst all that comes and goes, as a constant in our lives, it reflects back to us truths about who we are, about how we move through the world, and about our destiny.
For us, it is Curtis Destiny, our minivan of 14 years that has been a wise witness. But what ordinary thing is your teacher? Perhaps it’s that cozy sweatshirt you wear in the evenings. The basement chair that’s a carry over from grad school. The handbag that grandma gave you. Or the spatula from your wedding registry.
Maybe it’s time for a conversation…
If this ordinary thing could speak to you today, what extraordinary wisdom would it share?
What blessing might it speak to you?
What dormant superpowers within you might it call forth for the days ahead?
Beautifully said!