The Passionate Ordinary

I feel so lucky to be part of a small group of writers in my town. We are all women. Most of us are mothers and caregivers. Whenever it pleases us, we convene in someone's living room with coffee and someone's gift of muffins or cookies. Recently, our chosen topic for conversation and writing was Al Etmanski's idea of "Passionate Ordinaries." Al implores us to nurture a "'resurrection of the ordinary' and end our reliance on the superhero/saviour model of social change." It is more than good enough to live in the moment, passionately, nurturing the ordinary. 

Here is my friend and fellow writer Jae Shaw's beautiful poem on this theme. 

This Ordinary

A raven's call rattles from a treetop outside my window, drawing my attention up, away from my busy-work. With its black beak open and wings akimbo, it seems to be speaking directly to me, calling me back to this moment. After all, what is there to strive for? More stuff? Beyond the basics there's nothing I need. More recognition? There's nothing to notice here for as soon as it's noted it's gone. More love? Love can't be measured and there's nothing to earn that's not already mine. 

The raven launches itself into the blue sky causing the branch it was perched on to wave up and down for a time. And what could be more precious than the ordinary, this ordinary? The flap of wings overhead. The slow expansion and reaching of a tree trunk. The beat of this heart keeping time with all other hearts. A single breath shared by all others breathing. 

Jae Shaw


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