The Little Things

I think about my future. A lot. Many people do, especially when they are in college. They think about their careers and their education and their families and more. But when I think about the future, I tend to think about the little things.

Instead of envisioning my wedding, my fantasies gravitate toward what I believe will be the typical day of my marriage. I picture me and my husband laying in bed as we fall asleep or discussing our day while preparing dinner or getting dressed in the mornings before we go off to work. Instead of thinking about the birth of my children, I think about a pretty normal interaction with them. Us playing together in the backyard or me pushing them down the street in the stroller or even them arguing with me. Instead of imagining how I would feel winning the Noble Prize, I think about normal lab/professor interactions. Me listening to graduate students share their progress or me sitting in my office writing a grant or me preparing lecture for the next week.

The things that I think about are probably the most monotonous parts of anyone's life. Why should I fantasize about the ordinary, the hum dum, the daily routine, when so many other people focus on the extraordinary, the WOW!, the once-in-a-lifetime? I've come to realize that the ordinary stuff is what makes up most of our lives. Yes the exciting stuff makes for fun stories and can give great personal motivation. But the majority of our time is spent in routines. If you don't enjoy the routine, you often won't enjoy your life, even with those occasional WOW! moments.

I try to make those routines something wonderful, something to look forward to, something that is worthy of a fantasy. Otherwise, I fear I will not enjoy my future.