I often watch a YouTube channel—introvert & dog. The word introvert caught my attention. I am an introvert. The catchphrase he uses at the beginning of each video is: “the magical beauty of the ordinary.” I was particularly inspired by something he routinely shows on his channel: a vase of flowers on the table.
The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.
— Paulo Coelho (b. 1947) Brazilian lyricist and novelist
I have never cared that much for cut flowers. I love flowers in the garden and landscape. It seems like a waste of time to put them on the table since they eventually shrivel and die. I think I got this from my mother. She grew up during the Depression, and spending money on anything unnecessary was not done in our house. My mother criticized anyone who did something she deemed frivolous—buying cut flowers fell into that category.
This YouTube channel focuses on a simple lifestyle of reading, taking walks along the beautiful streets in Oslo, and going to the park with his dog, Miss Mochi. She is a lovely little Parson Russell Terrier. Often, he cooks a modest dinner and always places a vase of flowers on the table, along with a candle in a fanciful ceramic holder. His entire routine radiates a quiet, unhurried, intentional grace. It is calm and peaceful.
“Calm and peaceful” . . . that is inspiring. After several months of watching this channel, I became enamored (maybe envious) of a table with a vase of flowers. Our kitchen table is always cluttered with vitamins, notes to self, notepads, pens, and mail. It is anything but calm or peaceful. I admit, if something is not in front of me—that is, if I can’t see it—it doesn’t exist. This is the reason I keep vitamins and notes on the table. It seems practical. And, I admit it is. However, calm and peaceful it is not—nor does it inspire creativity.
Several days ago, I decided I would buy flowers for our table . . . but only if I could find a bunch for under five dollars. Much to my surprise, I found bunches that were three for twelve dollars. I think you’re supposed to buy three bunches and mix and match to create a bouquet. That seemed like too many decisions. The guy on the YouTube channel sometimes only uses one kind of flower, so that was good enough for me. And, it met my requirement of costing no more than five dollars.
I have vases, but none were as simple as his, so I stopped at the dollar store and found a plain, clear cylindrical vase. It was perfect.
My husband and I cleared off the table. We found ways to store the items we use daily . . . but not on the table!
The flowers are called Peruvian lilies, or lilies of the Incas. I particularly like their frilly foliage. The yellowish hue plays off the colors in the Mexican tile on the floor.
In a way, this is an experiment to see whether this small change makes a difference in our quality of life. So far it has. It makes me smile. When I look at the flowers, I feel the magical beauty of the ordinary. The flowers remind me to slow down. This quote says it best:
One of the most profound choices we have is to sculpt the lens through which we experience our surroundings, the world. We can choose cynicism, a lens that dims the vibrancy of life, or we can choose wonder, a lens that magnifies the beauty in the ordinary.
This choice shapes our reality . . .
It’s a choice we can revisit every morning, like opening the curtains to a new day.
— Monika Ajay Kaul, born in Kashmir, she is a writer
The flowers let me know I have a choice every day. And, I can choose to notice the magical beauty all around.
Beauty does not reserve itself for special elite moments or instances; it does not wait for perfection but is present already secretly in everything.
— John O’Donohue (1956-2008) Irish poet, author, priest, and philosopher
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