Recently, I haven’t read any new books, and you won’t believe how much it hurts looking at unexplored books on my shelf every day. I mean, I could be doing that right now. What a sweet world it would be to live in—books, soft background music, and snacks. I have everything I need. But will it really be enough?

Last week, I talked about how it’s easy to tolerate pain when you have experienced the rewards. Today, I’ll tell you about how the illusion of things is often more attractive than the experience of them. The only reason anything is appealing or special to you is because you don’t own or have access to it.

Once you do, it loses that advantage and becomes ordinary, like everything else. Then, you start looking for the next attractive thing and forget that life itself is ordinary, with spontaneous and short moments of the extraordinary. That’s why you have so many things in your life that perform the same function.

So many clothes, when the goal is to cover your body, be comfortable, and confident in public. So many cars, but you only need to move from point A to B at your convenience. So many friends, but you only need to find people who make life worth living. So much money, but you only need to be kind to yourself and others. So many opinions about love, but you only need to learn how to love yourself.

I could go on, but you get it already. Because something is ordinary doesn’t make it meaningless. This new world wants our everyday life to be picture-perfect or like the climax scenes of every movie. But I want you to note something: all these movies start with a background story. They usually introduce you to a character’s normal life before something goes wrong.

If nothing was right in the first place, what could go wrong? Thankfully, we have concluding scenes that give you an idea of the happily ever after. We never see these scenes because you’re supposed to understand it means the characters are returning to their normal, or a new and changed version of normal.

I’ll give you another instance. You know those movies where an ace agent is retiring or chooses to leave the violent life? What do they do? Switch locations, start again, and blend into normal life. Why do you think they do that? And when the time comes to be extraordinary again, does being ordinary stop them?

All this “don’t fit in, be different, you’re not ordinary” talk should end this week. Bro, rest, please. I am just an ordinary girl who enjoys writing. Maybe someday it will make a difference to millions of people, but that will not underestimate the difference it makes to my 50 readers. Why? Because there was a time I used to be my only reader.

The same ordinary thing I used to do back then is what I still do now. It looks extraordinary to you simply because it’s not what you do. Remember, it’s all an illusion. Within everything and everyone you admire are things you already own or are capable of. Don’t waste your time obsessing over what other people have or do, to the point that you can no longer recognize your own.

Thank you for your time, I did something weird and had AI record this, so you can listen to it or share with someone who’d rather listen than read.

Song of the moment – Better together by Jack Johnson

Have a beautiful week. Love always ❤️