Shutter Sisters

Everyday Excerpt

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Each day I do the dirty work, the effort that attracts no notice but my own, and in this very place I find the ordinary ingredients for genuine fulfillment.

Rising with the sun to sort and stack the dishes, appreciating this simple task as the essential start to a healthy day. Chopping the blemished fruit into breakfast, savoring the taste of my own usefulness. Emptying full hampers without resentment or commentary. Making a marriage from sturdy pots and pans, an enduring masterpiece of mutual forgiveness. Cooking dinner while my daughter plunks the most lovely praise songs from the piano, knowing that my own mother, standing in her own kitchen, once received the same sweet cup of satisfaction from me. Watching my family circle each other in wary regard, wrestle and shout a messy wreck of feelings, seeing them suffer their deep adoration of each other, and leaving it be, well and good and theirs alone. Keeping silent about some things and laughing about most everything.

Loving all of this, and then forgetting to add even that, so full to the brim with this life already.

Excerpted from the book Hand Wash Cold: Care Instructions for an Ordinary Life ©2010 by Karen Maezen Miller. Printed with permission of New World Library, Novato, CA. www.newworldlibrary.com

For a dose of everyday inspiration, listen to Karen Maezen Miller read an extended excerpt from Hand Wash Cold on her blog today.

And please share an image of your own everyday beauty. For some perfect examples from our community visit the One Word Project flickr pool where the word this month is everyday.

Karen is graciously giving away a signed copy of her book for Giveaway May. Leave a comment here between now and Thursday midnight for a chance to win.

Congrats to Aia for winning the signed copy of Hand Wash Cold. Yay!

Comments

  5. Lovely post. I love marriage tips lately, guess it’s cause I’m seriously considering it myself!

  14. I recently started following Karen’s blog on my Reader, and enjoy her visits to my day. I’d love to read her book. Thanks to you and Karen for the opportunity to win it.

  17. needing to hear these reminders today, and everyday – thank you! Now off to her blog for more!!

  19. her book is a true treasure. about the beauty in everyday, ordinary, beautiful, sacred life moments. thank you for this offering.

  21. the dirty work…such an integral part of life, filled with more beauty than i could have imagined.

  26. I am currently reading Miller’s "Momma Zen" and I’m transfixed. I can’t believe how dead on she is about the expectations and disappointments of motherhood. I would love to win a copy of her new book.

  27. i will be graciously grateful if you would enter me in this drawing ~ thank you.

  29. what beautiful words, what a beautiful image… what a beautiful way to start my day, filling me up with such beauty, the "ordinary" is the beauty, what a fabulous reminder!

  30. I myself find the most joy in a wabisabi life, the joy of loving the imperfection in life! Wonderful!

  31. I love Karen’s work, and I’m so glad you posted this excerpt today — it is EXACTLY what I needed. Thank you for continuing to share inspiring and thought-provoking work here.

  37. This excerpt is beautiful, and inspiring in the fullest sense of the word. It "breathes into" ordinary moments the fullness of meaning that life holds. Why am I convinced that I need to just get through the everyday stuff so I can get on with what’s important/interesting/creative? I know better, but I do it anyway. I’m really, really ready to read Karen’s book.

  41. Always trying to be more positive and appreciative – thanks for the beautiful thoughts.

  44. sadly, I’m not living in the everyday, I’m trying to escape it, and I don’t know why.

    I think I’ve bought into the idea that it’s not enough…

    thank you for sharing this gentle reminder that it is a mighty thing.

  46. I am so excited, I get to meet and visit with Karen tomorrow evening at a dear friend’s home. I think I will hop over and listen to that exerpt in preperation!

    a little bit of everyday:
    breakfast- http://www.flickr.com/photos/glitch_nitch/4582120239/
    usually to the tune of the song, "Chitty-chitty-bang-bang" per the request of my little guy.
    I love mornings and although they used to be quite me time just 20months ago, I welcome my son and the sun while I wake and ready for the day.

  55. as a fragment collector, i love this…
    so full to the brim
    with
    this life
    already.

    so much possibility in there.
    thank you for that.

  57. oh I love that …everyday life,,finding joys in it daily are the key to happiness,well I believe,id love to get my hands on that book.it sounds wonderful!! Every morning I get up and put away the dishes from the night before drying in the rack. Let out the dog,clean up after the cats.Get my teenager up and moving.The day has started. I open curtains up to welcome the day and love the soft spring morning light. Everyday things are heavenly when you enjoy them 🙂

  58. That’s amazing! We really need to look at and appreciate the everyday. It is what our life is made up of.

  61. This excerpt is perfect for my state of mind today. There is beauty all around. We need only to recognize its presence in our lives. All we need to do is breathe mindfully to rid our minds of the cluttering thoughts that block it from our view.

  62. What a beautiful piece. Reminds me to enjoy the simple parts of each day. There is nothing more to look for, just appreciating the beauty of what we have. I love that now I think of how lucky I am to have my family with me as we fix and eat dinner together. Even cleaning up!

  63. I really enjoyed this excerpt and would love to read the book. We often forget that there is peace and beauty in doing things that may seem ordinary. I also really liked, "Keeping silent about some things and laughing about most everything." Sometimes I need the reminder about keeping silent. Not every feeling needs to be voiced. Thank you for a great post.

  65. This speaks to me on so many levels. Can’t wait to read this book!! xoxo, ~ M.

  68. Karen is such a wise soul. Filled with so much knowledge. Her books feel like sitting down and listening to a wise friend.

    Her words resonate deeply with me.