#finding joy in the mundane

[frunbuns]

Henry would love Animal Crossing

[livingwellnessblog]

Embracing Slow Living: A Guide to Living More Mindfully for the Bliss seeker.

Embracing Slow Living: A Guide to Living More Mindfully for the Bliss seeker. In today’s fast-paced world, where hustle and bustle seem to be the norm, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and disconnected. We often find ourselves caught up in a whirlwind of responsibilities, commitments, and constant distractions.  However, there is a growing movement towards embracing a slower, more intentional way…

[callmegaith]

Half life induction was a nice lil mod thought the scene of Gordon and Barney walking to the elevator was pretty cute + blabberer/listener bfs for the ship dynamic

[herestoburiedsecrets]

There are so many incredible scenes in Ghosts but one that always gets to me is the scene from 3x3 when Thomas is standing with Alison in the morning and saying his whole ‘tis no fault of the sun if the eye sees not it’s beauty’ speech because it truly encapsulates this gorgeous, tender moment of acknowledging the beauty in the mundane. Being stuck in a house for centuries is obviously very difficult but there is so much beauty in watching the sun rise every morning and the leaves change colour and the birds fly about. It’s the Captain and his insects, it’s Robin and his mouse family, it’s a day of Mary’s life being Pat’s perfect holiday, and it’s Thomas being transported by a sunrise he has seen a thousand times. Life and nature is so breathtakingly beautiful and I love how much the show illustrates the value of the mundane cycles of life.

[bread-tab]

"stop making [media] your whole personality"

ah... okay. yes. so.

first off:

there's this neurodivergent thing, where you use an interest as a filter for processing the world.

for some people that is called a "special interest," for others with different needs it is more of a "hyperfixation;" there are far more variations than i (or the field of psychology) know how to describe now. if you want to understand the difference there are people who can explain those variations better than me. but i can tell you what it feels like.

you discover something.

it doesn't matter what it is; you find something that speaks to you, something you can connect to, and it becomes a bubble of safe habitat from which you can rest from and explore and connect to all the other parts of this strange chaotic world.

a source of joy. a source of illumination.

it's like you're a person who has lived all their life in dark caves and you find something that glows.

these interests can be anything.

(literally anything; i personally derive meanings that you could never imagine from ✨ drainage ditches. ✨)

but very often, they are stories. tv shows, books, movies, comics, songs, podcasts, minecraft improv streams, cartoons, web serials, whatever

these things are:

tangible. you can hold them in your hands, replay them, turn on the subtitles, take screenshots, read the sheet music

and yet

real. they form a genuine connection from your (isolated, untranslatable) internal world to other (formerly unknowable) people and the rest of the universe

they create meaningfulness

and they exist because humans find these incredibly effective soul-deep ways of communicating to one another.

now, appreciating stories, that's not a neurodivergent thing. that's a human thing.

the point of relevance here is that experiencing an extreme love for stories is a neurodivergent thing.

it's a very common neurodivergent trait which often gets mocked, portrayed as childish, and used as a pretext for infantilization and bullying.

(and it is also a trait of young people in general, to take stories very seriously in a way that looks silly to adults, and that is something that many people (regardless of age) try to bully out of each other.

what good is that doing anyone?)

"stop making [x] your whole personality"

listen, you. get down off that goddamn embankment and climb down into this ditch with me. dip your toes in this oily water. watch the stars and city lights ripple into constellations you've never seen

now look me in the eye

you need to understand that no matter what lowbrow, cringey, problematic or otherwise not-to-your-tastes drivel you might be complaining about today,

you are talking about the phenomenon of creativity

you are talking about a transcendent catalyst of human emotion

and yes that includes the overmilked disney franchises, it includes the formulaic shippy fanfictions, it includes whatever brightly-colored cartoon this website is obsessed with this year (and will be having incredibly dramatic meltdowns over next year), it includes the cheesy action movies and the fanservicey anime and the badly-designed video games and the milquetoast tiktok "literature", it includes the indistinguishable scribbles of some random five-year-old and/or famous fine artist and/or precocious elephant

i get it. you care about real life and touching grass and shit. you have taste. just take the stilts off your horse for a second, okay?

i know you're probably sick of "let people like things" discourse

i would just like for you to stop for a second and take a deep breath, and let the stench of whatever is in this mud puddle wash over you (yeah i know, ew, but you'll be fine) and consider

what is so bad about having a cringey personality, anyway?

and maybe you will think better of making "stop making [some silly moment in the universe] your personality" into your personality and maybe you will come off as a little bit less of a snob/ableist/ass and maybe you will have a slightly better outlook on life among humans.

that's all. yeah you can get out of the gutter now. thank you for coming to my ted talk—

ooh wait, look, a bottle cap

[trainingdummyrabbit]

wait. i lied. im not done. thinks really really hard about the way Childishness is expressed in conjunction with angelas development, and how its never looked down upon but rather accepted as a stepping stone into understanding. how angela is allowed to have these so called "childish" traits and methods of expression as a vital part of her growth, a vital part of reclaiming herself.

something about the expression of childishness in contrast to a childhood she never got to have, growth she was never able to take, and an openness she was never allowed to express.

haha anyway who said that

[chatdae]

The Great Gatsby (1974) au where Gatsby doesn't die and instead Nick takes on the no-paying job of trying to get Jay to move on from Daisy.

Bad ending is Gatsby never does & he and the Buchanans become a never-ending shitshow. Good ending is Jay moves on. Super special bonus ending is Jay and Nick fall in love (toxicity optional)

[baeshijima]

something so endearing about zhongli, former geo archon and prime of the adepti, who literally has the strength of a thousand meteors raining down from the sky, choosing to retire and live amongst the people he once protected and guided for more than a millenia as a simple funeral consultant with a knack for history and literature. like at this point he's just Some Guy. and imagine he falls in love with you and you two get married and now he's just basking in this mundane marital bliss 🥹

but also. like. imagine scoring a fucking GOD.

NO BC????? zhongli is just such a menace when u take into consideration all the beef he has started with mere mortals over the history of, well, himself 😭

like imagine you're dating him. you're smitten with his random historical tangents about something you're pretty sure he is the only one who knows about; you're smitten with his in-depth analysis about a poem or play, the hidden meanings and alternate takes having evaded you when you watched it; you're smitten with the way he subtly (or not-so-subtly, in some cases) eggs on professionals in their field of study by purposefully challenging their view and riling them up; you're smitten with the way leans into your touch, as though a weight built from thousands upon thousands of years become nothing within your embrace.

and then he tells you, on one ordinary day when you're having dinner together.

"oh, by the way, there is something i have been keeping from you and must tell you, dearest."

"yeah? what is it?"

"i am actually rex lapis."

he immediately rushed over to pat your back after you choked on dinner.

[in-tua-deep]

My cishet fellow interns when I talk about my mission to hunt down all the Garfield statues in the city limits: why would you do that? I’d rather just be on my phone

When I talk to my queer friend group about my mission to hunt down all the garfield statues within city limits: we should make a day out of it when the weather is warmer!! 👀 Have you seen the defunctland video about the garfield dark ride? we should all go out for lasagna after ✨

[brojob]

I dream about this boy doing the most boring mundane things with me

[nrvcntr]

i think the thing that makes me so soft about the gale romance is that u can literally see the light come back into his eyes…….

like yeah gale is really funny and charismatic when you meet him but he’s also 100% resigned to a fate of dying alone as a result of his folly but as the relationship progresses he literally finds the will to live again and it’s like damn maybe through love we sometimes find that the things we thought we needed to be happy are actually not necessary at all and that we dont need to be particularly “great” or known in order to have a life that is full of happiness and joy…….

[queer-queen-bean]

the tragedy of knowing by experience that it gets better if you just keep going, that the present is inescapable and endless but if you can endure the mundane agony that's haunted you as long as you can remember then things will get better because even when you've been treading water for years, sometimes you can find the strength to swim.

[elizevanniekerk]

The Subtle Art of Finding Joy in the Mundane

In the dizzying whirlwind of our modern lives, with its notifications, deadlines, and endless to-do lists, it's easy to overlook the little things. Our quest for big achievements, exotic vacations, and grand celebrations often overshadows the understated moments that make up our daily lives. Yet, there's a profound beauty and solace in the mundane, waiting to be discovered.

The Magic of Morning Rituals

Consider the simple act of brewing your morning coffee or tea. The aromatic scent that wafts through your kitchen, the warmth of the mug against your palms, and that first invigorating sip – it's a ritual that beckons a new day, filled with possibilities. It's not just about the caffeine kick, but the quiet moments we grant ourselves before the day's chaos ensues.

Nature's Everyday Theater

Look out of your window. Even if you're in the heart of a bustling city, nature is putting on a daily show. The radiant hues of a sunrise, the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze, or even the rhythmic patter of rain against the windowpane. These are nature's gentle reminders of its cyclic rhythm, urging us to pause and sync our own rhythms with the world around us.

The Joy of Daily Tasks

Believe it or not, there's a meditative quality in mundane chores. The rhythmic act of washing dishes, the soft hum of a vacuum cleaner, or the therapeutic act of decluttering can be grounding experiences. They tether us to the present moment, offering a break from the incessant noise in our heads.

Conversations and Connections

Everyday joy is also about connections. A brief chat with a neighbor, a spontaneous phone call to a friend, or even the simple act of greeting your local grocery store cashier can forge bonds. It's in these fleeting interactions that we find a shared human experience.

Rediscovering Your Space

Sometimes, joy is about rediscovery. Re-read a favorite book, revisit old photographs, or rearrange your furniture. Familiar spaces and objects can offer new perspectives and insights when looked at with fresh eyes.

Wrapping Up

The art of finding joy in the mundane is essentially about shifting our perspective. It's about appreciating life's quiet moments and finding depth in simplicity. It's recognizing that while milestones and grand celebrations are significant, there's immeasurable joy to be found in the spaces in between.

In the words of novelist Alice Walker, "Expect nothing. Live frugally on surprise." Life's everyday surprises, no matter how small, are the threads that weave the beautiful tapestry of our existence. So, let's cherish them.

[dangerliesbeforeyou]

i know people have already talked about this but GOD it frustrates me when someone goes on about some famous dude being beautiful and people on here are like 'that's literally just some guy he's nothing special' like that's the fuckign POINT that's the POINT

famous people ARE just ordinary people and ordinary people ARE beautiful like stfu lol

[cantuscorvi]

Man watching you like he's going to kill you while he listens to you talk about your day (he's paying close attention).

[thebeardedgrandma]

I got a 10lb bag of potatos for less than two bucks the other day and I’m still reeling from that excitement.