Trash TV, the train ride (again), and anticipatory joy 🚂

Romanticizing the ordinary: a monthly(ish) round up of my favorite "boring" moments

Why, hello! As it turns out, posting less often is far more enjoyable than trying whip up a post every week. This seems to support a general theme that has emerged this year: FOR THE LOVE OF EVERYTHING, DO LESS, GIRL! 👏🏻

Sometimes us “have it all together” types think that if we stop doing something, if we scale back, it might all fall apart. Everyone needs us, after all.

I can report that everyone, including me, is just fine.

This week I’m visiting one of my now-monthly(ish) topics, romanticizing the ordinary: some recent, everyday, “boring” moments that I loved, because these moments are what make a life, after all.

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Here, in no particular order, is a list of recent, ordinary moments that sparked contentment and gratitude:

1. Trash TV: I haven’t really watched trash TV in a while, and I forgot how fun it is. I absolutely appreciate really good TV (Succession, anyone?), but after a loooOOOoong day of working and parenting, I forgot how nice it is to turn my brain off and be entertained by drama. All that to say, I’m almost finished with The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, and I really hope MomTok survives.

2. My daughter’s stream of consciousness: My daughter is at the age where she talks constantly. She has a running commentary (or make-believe story) going at all times, but especially in the car. For the entire length of any car ride, she talks to me the entire time. I would be lying if I didn’t also admit that it can be a smidge overstimulating (can’t I take a little mental break, even in the car??) but then I think about when she’s older, and I won’t get to hear every little thought she has. I want to be her north star for as long as she’ll let me. 🌟

3. The train ride at the zoo: We go to our zoo at least every other week from summertime through October. We have a family pass, so it’s great for a quick pop-in—do an activity, see a few favorite animals, and pick a ride. My favorite is the log ride, but my family’s favorite is the train. We’ve probably done this train ride 20 or more times at this point, and everyone enjoys it every time. You just can’t be in a bad mood—waving at other zoo-goers, zipping around a pond, getting to sit still for about 7 minutes—it’s all good. Last weekend’s train ride was especially nice; it was the perfect warm fall day, we had a bit of candy from the trick-or-treat event that day, and both my kids snuggled up to me so sweetly, I completely forgot about all the meltdowns we had not 30 minutes prior. It was the perfect reset.

4. Anticipatory joy: My friend and I are going on a little trip next weekend, and it has been so fun planning and dreaming about it. As a parent, I am still not in ~traveling era~, probably because, as a Very Tired Person™, the idea of planning a trip just feels like way too much. I’m just now entering the season of parenthood where it honestly still feels like too much, but not as much as it did a year ago. But when I tell you how much excitement this little girls’ getaway has infused into my life, it reminds me why investing in experiences is so worthwhile—not only do you get to enjoy the experience, but you also have something to look forward to and memories to look back on. (For me, sometimes the planning and the memories are even better than the event itself.) Maybe my whole “doing less” theme will make more room for fun. Who knows? 🙂

A perfect day for the train ride at the zoo

I’m off next week (because I’m doing less, remember?), but I’ll be back the following. Happy Halloween, friends. 👻

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⭐️ If you liked this post, you might also enjoy my first post about romanticizing the ordinary. It is one of my most popular.

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