Extraordinarily Average

I used to be great at journaling...all they way from when I was in elementary school through high school.  Even in college I did a pretty good job...until I got married. :)  I don't know if it's because my husband has just become my living, breathing journal, or just the fact that my life has been busy- but I have almost nothing to count up my last 4 years of life.  Recently I have gotten interested in my family history.  I have even been able to read a couple self-written histories of my ancestors.  It has been so inspiring reading about the power of a well-lived life!  I have supped strength from their day-to-day stories and been re-inspired to record the not-so-luxurious happenings in the life of our family.

And I have to admit blogging my journal is a little intimidating.  I am not a 'bells and whistles' kind of girl.  I don't take breathtaking photos, create fabulous decor, or have any outstanding skills that I can share with anyone.  Instead, I haven't got a smiling picture of my little boy for the last three months (he is much more interested in touching the camera buttons), I have yet to take a picture of my baby belly (14 weeks already), and my dinners as of late have left us enjoying a bowl of cereal instead. But, who doesn't want to know about that??  I find it refreshing when I see someone else's child tantrum in the store, or when I eat another person's partially-burnt rolls. I find it equally uplifting when I see another mother beam at her child's excitement/milestone, or confide that they too just changed out of their pajamas for the first time in the last two days.   There is nothing more inspiring to me than to know that someone else understands me, and what I am going through.

So I am writing this from a selfish position.  I believe that my life needs to be recorded, if not for the sake of my sanity, then for the sake of my great great grandchild who may find relief in reading that I too lock myself in the bathroom for 5 minutes while my child runs amuck in my 700 square foot apartment. My life is extraordinarily average.  There are spurts of above average and below average--and I choose to (try to) relish every second of it.  I love this quote by President Gordon B. Hinckley:

“Anyone who imagines that bliss is normal is going to waste a lot of time running around shouting that he’s been robbed. The fact is that most putts don’t drop, most beef is tough, most children grow up to just be people, most successful marriages require a high degree of mutual toleration, most jobs are more often dull than otherwise. Life is like an old time rail journey…delays…sidetracks, smoke, dust, cinders and jolts, interspersed only occasionally by beautiful vistas and thrilling burst of speed. The trick is to thank the Lord for letting you have the ride.”

And that sums it up for me...for today.