Last summer we found a large green caterpillar and after a few days of feeding him oak leaves and observing him, he spun a cacoon. He stayed in his jar through autumn and winter. Two weeks ago he emerged, a beautiful polyphemus moth. An ordinary occurance, that was so extraordinary to watch.
This past year has been one of the hardest of my life. Still finding myself a little stunned, I have been unable to talk about it much, let alone update my blog. The range of assumptions that have been made about me and what has been going on in my life has hurt me. The wrong assumptions made without information, and worse: the judgmental assumptions made with information.
I am called the muse of ordinary life. More than a few people suggested over this past year that perhaps during this hard time I was experiencing what it would be like to be faithful in the ordinary.
ordinary:
adj 1: not exceptional in any way especially in quality or ability or size or degree; "ordinary everyday objects"; "ordinary decency"; "an ordinary day"; "an ordinary wine" [ant: extraordinary] 2: lacking special distinction, rank, or status; commonly encountered; "average people"; "the ordinary (or common) man in the street" [syn: average]
There was nothing ordinary about this past year. It was extraordinary and a time of mourning for and longing for the ordinary. A lesson in how selfish I am. A lesson in how much I take for granted. So, for now I delight in the extraordinary that I find in the everyday ordinary. So I am back, and my musings over ordinary life continues.
welcome back, sember. i've missed you.
sember, the moth is beautiful. i was so very glad to find your words today.
It was nice to see you briefly yesterday -- looking forward to getting to talk sometime soon. I'm glad to see you're blogging again.
assumptions are dumb, but moths are really cool!
The moth looks HUGE but BEAUTIFUL! I can't believe how long it stayed in it's cocoon...shows my impatience, probably.
Glad to see you back (at blogging)
love you!
Welcome back to the world of web-musings! It's good to have you back, indeed. :-)
I'm excited you're back to blogging. Whoever is holding that moth is a braver man than I.
I am just happy to see you are not 49 weeks pregnant. I was starting to think of the muse of extraordinary(not necessarily good) gestational experiences. Glad you are back and smiling. I love your smile. Leda
Give me the ordinary, too. I'm not good at the sensational. I'd settle for you hatching moths, eating toast, and drinking tea any day. I love that you have re-emerged.
In the mundane tasks of living,
In the pouring out and giving,
In the waking up and trying,
In the laying down and dying...
That's a little stone, that's a little mortar
That's a little seed, that's a little water
In the hearts of the sons and the daughters;
The kingdom's coming.
-Sara Groves
You can only be more beautiful on the other side of such a reemergence. Glad you're back.
Jeremy: Thank you. I still want to have BBQ cornish game hens with you.
Kelly: I am excited for all that is happening for you right now.
Amy: I really look forward to seeing you soon, as well.
Stephanie: You know what else is really cool? Great neighbors!
Kristin: I might have thrown the cocoon out if I hadn't read about it online and discovered that it stays inside all winter. I love you much, as well.
Matt: What is it about moths that scare some people? Even the beautiful ones? My sister is the same way.
Leda: I'm so glad not to be 49 weeks pregnant as well! Let's get together and glow a little.
MLH: Ahhhh... you know me so well.
Missy: You are beautiful. I love that you posted that piece. Thank you.