Throughout any portion of your life, you get into a flow of 'everyday ordinaries.' Things in your life that are nothing special, but they are your normal everyday. This summer my life was full of 'everyday ordinaries' that I was never used to, but quickly became accustomed to, and even became my normal. Today while walking through campus, I began thinking of this past summers' 'everyday ordinaries' while living in our small mountain village, orphanage in Haiti. Here are just a few that came to mind..
-Hearing the rooster crow (he had no sense of time) at odd times throughout the day was an everyday ordinary.
-Going to the bathroom and having our little gecko friend Gerry sitting in the window was an everyday ordinary.
-Getting to eat rice and beans every single day was an everyday ordinary.
-And then being so excited for tuesdays because we got chicken and noodles with our rice/beans, was an everyday ordinary.
-Being surrounded by a language I don't fluently understand was an everyday ordinary.
-Having to put down and pick up my bed every morning and night was an everyday ordinary.
-Living in the mountains was an everyday ordinary.
-Throwing away toilet paper not in the toilet, but in the box next to it was an everyday ordinary.
-Playing the same hand full of children's games (hit, snap, clap; obo; lado..) over and over again was an everyday ordinary.
-Sweating through every layer of clothes you were wearing was an everyday ordinary.
-The giant hand sanitizer bottle before meals was an everyday ordinary.
-Bringing a flashlight with you to the bathrooms at night so you weren't left in the dark when the electricity was turned off was an everyday ordinary.
-Looking forward to an ice cold shower before bed was an everyday ordinary.
-Wide open windows with no screens were an everyday ordinary.
-My morning 'get ready' routine consisting of getting dressed, baby wipe face wash, and application of bug spray was an everyday ordinary.
-Skirts were an everyday ordinary.
-Having 6 roommates was an everyday ordinary.
-Exchanging special greetings with 45 beautiful children each morning, by name was an everyday ordinary.
-Flooding somewhere and cleanup was an everyday ordinary.
-Puppies pooping and peeing in the church was an everyday ordinary.
-Bandaging minor wounds all day long was an everyday ordinary.
-Brushing my teeth with water from my water bottle was an everyday ordinary.
-Living out of a suitcase was an everyday ordinary.
-Pouring out every last drop of myself to those around me was an everyday ordinary.
-Having no other option but to depend solely on God for everything was an everyday ordinary.
-Learning new words was an everyday ordinary.
I know there are many that I am simply missing from this list. I couldn't possibly list each and every one. These are a select few.
They were new.
They were simple.
They were beautiful.
They took getting used to.
They were my normal.
I am grateful for my 'everyday ordinaries' from this summer... I am grateful for each and everyone of them.
-Hearing the rooster crow (he had no sense of time) at odd times throughout the day was an everyday ordinary.
-Going to the bathroom and having our little gecko friend Gerry sitting in the window was an everyday ordinary.
-Getting to eat rice and beans every single day was an everyday ordinary.
-And then being so excited for tuesdays because we got chicken and noodles with our rice/beans, was an everyday ordinary.
-Being surrounded by a language I don't fluently understand was an everyday ordinary.
-Having to put down and pick up my bed every morning and night was an everyday ordinary.
-Living in the mountains was an everyday ordinary.
-Throwing away toilet paper not in the toilet, but in the box next to it was an everyday ordinary.
-Playing the same hand full of children's games (hit, snap, clap; obo; lado..) over and over again was an everyday ordinary.
-Sweating through every layer of clothes you were wearing was an everyday ordinary.
-The giant hand sanitizer bottle before meals was an everyday ordinary.
-Bringing a flashlight with you to the bathrooms at night so you weren't left in the dark when the electricity was turned off was an everyday ordinary.
-Looking forward to an ice cold shower before bed was an everyday ordinary.
-Wide open windows with no screens were an everyday ordinary.
-My morning 'get ready' routine consisting of getting dressed, baby wipe face wash, and application of bug spray was an everyday ordinary.
-Skirts were an everyday ordinary.
-Having 6 roommates was an everyday ordinary.
-Exchanging special greetings with 45 beautiful children each morning, by name was an everyday ordinary.
-Flooding somewhere and cleanup was an everyday ordinary.
-Puppies pooping and peeing in the church was an everyday ordinary.
-Bandaging minor wounds all day long was an everyday ordinary.
-Brushing my teeth with water from my water bottle was an everyday ordinary.
-Living out of a suitcase was an everyday ordinary.
-Pouring out every last drop of myself to those around me was an everyday ordinary.
-Having no other option but to depend solely on God for everything was an everyday ordinary.
-Learning new words was an everyday ordinary.
I know there are many that I am simply missing from this list. I couldn't possibly list each and every one. These are a select few.
They were new.
They were simple.
They were beautiful.
They took getting used to.
They were my normal.
I am grateful for my 'everyday ordinaries' from this summer... I am grateful for each and everyone of them.
