Finding Beauty in the Mundane

It’s interesting how such mundane, even possibly dreaded, activities can be made into joyful events by someone you love. Even something like washing the dishes, usually a tiring dull chore, could be made enjoyable when teamed with the conversation and laughter of someone dear. So, what I wonder is, are we able to reset our thinking and find appreciation within ourselves to find beauty in the mundane? Human beings are social creatures by nature. We depend and thrive on social interactions and affection from others, but in a time where we need to isolate to protect others, and possibly lose contact with the ones we love, how can we cope?

I am not proposing that we should become solely dependent on ourselves, but that we should reset our thinking, delve into our imagination to find beauty in the mundane. We might find a new and beautiful appreciation for life. For example, I’ve recently overcome a fear of spiders. I spent a morning sitting out on my balcony watching one of the delicate creatures spin a web and found beauty in the spider’s dedication and intelligence. I admired how if her web was broken down, she would immediately create a new one. It got me questioning and admiring the intelligence, determination, and perseverance of such small beings, therefore gaining a new respect and understanding of their place in the world. As humans, we tend to linger on negative feelings more than we do positive ones. Psychologists refer to this as the ‘Negativity Bias’. Recently, residents of Brisbane were instructed to undergo a 3-day lockdown. 3 days doesn’t seem like much, but the negative implications of the further spread of Covid19 caused stress and unrest for many. By becoming aware of our tendency to dwell on the negative, perhaps that can be our first step into focusing on the positive. It is completely understandable to feel stressed from the recent events, but perhaps focusing on something seemingly insignificant can give us a much-needed escape. Take time to sit and watch a spider spin a web, to watch birds chatter and dance among trees, to watch bees dart from flower to flower. Take time to lay in the bath and really notice the comforting warmth of the water, notice the soothing heat from a cup of tea, the enriching taste of a home-cooked meal. It might do some good to take time before you go to bed and consider. There is much beauty and love found in the people around you and times spent together, but small moments of happiness can be found in your everyday routine and the objects right in front of you.