January is special.
Not in a burst of natural color like April, May and September. Not in the flashy way of fireworks and parades on the Fourth of July. Not even in the rush of excitement of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas in October, November and December.
January is plain. It feels (and even looks) a little vanilla. Nature is dormant. Sounds are muted in the falling snow. The parties are over, and the decorations put away. Exhausted from the holidays, we crave rest. Recuperation. Simplicity. A normal routine again. One ordinary moment after the next in quiet succession.
But don’t be fooled. There’s so much richness in the regular.
Our culture rewards big moments. High achievements. Public wins by well-known faces. And these can be notable and important when they happen. But most of our days aren’t full of showy accomplishments – and the ordinary is every bit as important.
Jake Scott’s song “Tuesdays” describes love (and life) as not just the “picture-perfect dancing in a white dress” at your wedding or the drama-filled “rainy days when nothing stops the fighting” – although those highs and lows are part of it. But most days are like Tuesdays. The days when you eat breakfast on the fly as you rush out the door, or binge watch season three of a show, or take a walk in the evening air. These regular moments make up a great life.
Likewise, despite what makes the headlines, most of us make a real difference in the world on a smaller scale – in our one-on-one, everyday interactions with those around us. Holding the door open for a stranger. Giving up your seat on the subway to an elderly person. Helping your kids with their homework. Climbing up on a ladder to help your neighbor clean out their gutters. Donating to the local food pantry. Making a charitable donation to help those who’ve lost everything in the recent disasters in western North Carolina or Los Angeles.
It’s not showy and rarely makes the news. But whether people notice or not, at our best we do the little things that add up to big things that move the needle for change in our communities.
History shows that ordinary people taking constructive (even if small) actions at the right time can be huge catalysts for meaningful change.
Candy Lightner’s teenage daughter was killed by a repeat DWI offender at a time when there were few if any consequences for such behavior. So this regular mom started MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers) from her house in 1980 to fight for stricter laws. It took time, but her actions dramatically changed attitudes toward drunk driving in our country.
Recently divorced and financially struggling, single mom Joanne Rowling finally wrote the novel she’d been toying with for five years, often with her young daughter by her side. J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has sparked a love of reading in people of all ages around the world, shattering book sales and movie records to boot.
Security guard Frank Willis removed unusual tape over a basement door lock as he made his regular night rounds in his D.C. office building. When he found it there again, he called the cops. His actions – just doing his job – led to the resignation of President Nixon in 1974 over the part he played in covering up the Watergate break-in.
A young Misty Copeland loved to dance but struggled to access the exclusive ballet scene in light of her body type, race and background. Undeterred, she trained at the local Boys & Girls Club. She worked hard and ultimately become the first African American principal ballet dancer at the American Ballet Theater. She’s changed the way we envision ballerinas and continues to inspire many to follow in her footsteps.
These people didn’t set out to change the world in sweeping ways. They were not famous. They didn’t seek the limelight. They found themselves in challenging situations and took steps to try to make something better. They didn’t know how it was going to turn out, or if anyone would even notice. But they did it anyway. And look what happened.
At this less frantic time of year, allow yourself time to rest and recharge. But don’t go dormant. We need your proof of life in the midst of the quiet. January offers the perfect opportunity to regroup and plan next steps.
Look around. Pay attention. What’s nagging at you that would make your life or someone else’s life better? Within a regular day, what small steps can you take to make (and be) that difference? Do the little things, because they really are the big things that matter.
Embrace the ordinary. It’s where the real magic happens.
