Mundane Monday – From the Outside looking in

Posted on by Miriam

I stepped outside tonight as the light was fading.   My bush of chrysanthemums was dancing wildly in the cool night wind.

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I looked back up at my window.  This time last week I was on the inside looking out as it was raining.  And I thought how apt it was that I was outside looking in as this is the way my life seems to be these days.  Very introspective.  Looking within, trying to find my way.

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I’m trying to be more mindful, finding beauty in the ordinary things and at the same time looking within to try and find my passions.  My goals and purpose. What I’m striving for.

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This elk is now growing on the trunk of a once thriving gum tree in my backyard.  Reminds me that growth often takes time and effort and a lot of nurturing.  It doesn’t happen overnight.

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Around me I’m surrounded by both stark beauty and a reminder that nothing lasts forever.  Like this once tall gum tree, gnarled and killed by a parasite but still haven for native birds that flock there each morning and night.  It still has a purpose.

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Here’s the same tree two nights ago.  It seems to change with the light behind it and the cloud cover.  Much like my moods, which flit between hope and optimism and moments of uncertainty about what lies ahead.

But what I do know is that with a mindful attitude I’ll continue to keep moving forward in May.

Wishing you all a mindful and less than mundane Monday, as we go about finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life.

This is in response to Mundane Monday Challenge #59 a challenge created to find beauty in almost everything. The challenge is simple : find beauty in everyday mundane things, capture the beauty and upload the photographs.

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78 thoughts on “Mundane Monday – From the Outside looking in”

  1. Miriam, I appreciate your sharing of this today. It has been a journey lately in two fronts, looking inward, seeking outward. Feeling the peaks and troughs. Doing the best to appreciate the views from each perspective. Thank you for being you and sharing the fullness of your journey! Love and light in all aspects of being! ❤️Tiffany

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    1. Thanks Tiffany, I understand what you’re saying and I can appreciate your journey. So many bumps along the way but we’ll get there won’t we? I’m so happy you’re there and I send you lots of hugs and warm wishes. xo

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  3. I love how that old gum tree appears different depending on the light each day. Much like our own day to day lives … How life looks is dependant on our perspective I guess. Lovely post, Miriam 😀

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  5. It may well be helpful if you were to find yourself a life coach Miriam. That would definiteiy assist you with direction, goals and motivation. It would also be doing something positive for you.

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  7. Wow, that picture with the clouds and the pink-orange sky… so beautiful. I suppose one of the advantages to being unemployed as I am is that Monday isn’t anywhere nearly as dreadful as it was before I was laid off.

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      1. I have no freelance anything… I never have. I write constantly but nothing I will ever get paid for. I make lovely graphics but again, nothing I’ll ever get paid for. I’ve tried to find some sort of writing or design job I could do from home (so I don’t have to make enough money to pay for childcare) but I’ve gotten nowhere. I don’t even get a response… because without any professional writing or graphic design experience, I am just dismissed without a thought. They don’t care whether I can do the work… they don’t even respond. Same problem with out-of-the-home jobs…

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        1. I’m cringing here because it seems to be the same everywhere and it’s so wrong. Especially when you know you can do the work and you have the creative talent. I know it took me years to break into the magazine market with my writing but even now there’s just so much competition out there and everything is going digital now anyway so work is drying up. Nothing is ever easy …

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        2. This is why I have panic attacks over my job search! If I manage to find a job at all (and I have to because we will wind up homeless or something), I will only be hired to for a job related to or the same as my previous job(s)… most of which I hated. This is what happens when you have never known what you wanted to be “when you grew up.” I just took whatever job seemed the most bearable or whatever I could get… and lived with it. Some were okay… but the thought of going back to some office… ugh. Gross!

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        3. Well, I’ve decided that after more than a year of going to interview after interview and getting so close but never hired for these office/admin/marketing roles that maybe I’m just not meant to be doing that anymore. So I’ve stopped looking. And now I’m not sure what direction I’m heading in but I know I want to do something different. Makes it hard but maybe that’s what we both need to do. Look for something totally different to what we thought we’d always do. Easier said than done but worth thinking about …

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        4. Oh, I’ve been thinking that the whole time! From the moment I walked out of that building when I was laid off… I have been thinking that I do not want to do anything like that ever again. But I have to go back to the same crap because I have no money. I can’t afford to start over at the bottom in some new sort of job. Even if I could, they wouldn’t hire me anyway because I have no experience! I’m completely trapped and scared to death because I’ve been out of work for quite a while now and we are seriously running out of money. If I was only working because I wanted to but not because I had to, things would be different. But that’s not how it is… we cannot get by on one income.

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        5. It’s a catch twenty two situation with the experience, I know exactly what you mean. It gets harder the longer we’re out of work and when you’re feeling the pressure financially, well it’s no wonder you’re having panic attacks. Maybe try for something part time, that way you’re not locked into work you don’t like for the whole week. Wish you were closer Sandra, I’d say come over for a cuppa … 🙂

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        6. Another part of the “being trapped” thing is that I really can’t take a job that doesn’t pay enough to justify the childcare we’ll have to pay if I’m no longer home! I would be fine with part time but if I don’t earn as much as childcare would be for any given day, it doesn’t make sense for me to leave the house! In fact, the kids are out of school for the summer in about a month and we don’t have the money for summer camp so at this point, I cannot start a job until September… unless I find something I can do from home. And working from home would be ideal anyway — an income and no childcare expenses. Then I wouldn’t need to earn as much… or work full time!

          I wish we were closer, too. I don’t have friends offline… not really. But I have some great ones here. 🙂

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        7. Okay, so you know the answer … you have to find something that you can do from home, and earn money from it. Google, do some research, maybe creating resumes or copy writing or something, there HAS to be something you can do from home … think outside the square.
          The kettle’s on now, come over … 🙂

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        8. Yeah, from the start I’ve been trying to find something to do from home. Oh, believe me, I have done so much Google searching it’s crazy. And I have gotten nowhere. It’s been more months than I care to admit and I haven’t even gotten a single response (not even for them to say no to me).

          It’s frustrating. I’ve tried pretty much everything… but I still have nothing. I feel bad even talking about it to anyone because they want to help but I’ve already done everything they or I could think to suggest anyway… and then I feel bad for being so negative… but this IS negative! Sure, I don’t dread Mondays, I have time to write and time with my children. But as far as the job search itself… there is nothing positive about it! Blah. I hate it.

          And I’m sorry I’ve mucked up your post with all of this!! xo hugs

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        9. You haven’t mucked up my post at all, don’t be silly. This is life, real and raw and if this is what you’re going through there’s no point sugar coating it.
          We’ve all got our issues and stuff we’re dealing with and it’s good to be able to talk about it. Hope something works out for you Sandra. In the meantime enjoy your kids, your writing and the time you have at home. You just never know what’s around the corner …
          Hugs xo

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  9. My Mondays are a combination of the mundane and, if I’m lucky, the extraordinary, Miriam. I think that most days have that potential. It’s just that we can’t always see it. 🙂 Wishing you a wonderful week ahead.

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  11. Its funny how time changes our outlook on just whats really important in life, and how our goals change. You will find your balance point and it will lead to a very fulfilling second half!

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  12. That tree is stunning once again. It represents such a parallel to life. Hope you are doing ok. Wish we were neighbors. I’d make you sit with me and look at a million vacation photos and tell stories and laugh our butts off. 🙂

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    1. That sounds like so much fun, I’d love it too. I’d make you a cuppa and we could share the last piece of my banana and berry cake 🙂 If you don’t come over soon I’ll just have to eat it! 🙂

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  15. Loved the Blog , the Pics & the poetry & your weekly #Journey . Hope to see you read my Book on short stories : Journey from Guwahati to Machhiwara , available on Amazon.com . Book in 12 countries , 80 libraries . PS : I am first time Author @63 . #Hugs !

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  18. I get the “On the outside looking in” perspective, Miriam. I’ve been trying to write a poem a day over on Medium as well as keeping up semi-regular posting on the blog, and often I’ll finished writing and look up and have to blink a few times to help my eyes adjust to viewing the figures in my immediate surroundings. Like you do here, I’ve come to view this blurred vision as a metaphor for the ways writing both does me wonders as a tool for self-reflection but also makes me temporarily blinded to what’s going on right now.

    What I’ve come to admire about your writing is the way you’re able in post after post to look for inspiration and consolation in the landscapes you capture with your camera. You also often try to catch images of your loved ones, which gives you occasion to consider your connections and the impacts others have had and continue to have on your life.

    Your way of blogging offers a strong model doe me of how to use daily writing as a way of taking stock, getting a little bit more outside of ourselves, getting in touch with what’s troubling us, and finding routes to see inspiration in the things we might otherwise see only vaguely.

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    1. Thanks Patrick for your, as always, insightful comment. I must admit that I’m on a bit of a journey of self discovery at the moment and I feel as though my blog is somewhat of a vessel for me. Through it I’m trying to make sense of where I’m going and my direction and purpose which has somewhat faltered this past year. It’s interesting how my blog has evolved with me as I’ve changed and searched for answers. Glad it’s able to provide you with a bit of inspiration.
      Likewise I also enjoy your reflective and gentle style of writing Patrick. I know what you mean about feeling “temporarily blinded” with our writing. It’s far too easy to become absorbed in our blog. I guess it’s finding that balance between our writing and being in the now with the ones around us. All the very best.

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  24. Pingback: Mundane Monday Challenge #60 | PhoTrablogger

  25. Very thoughtful sweetheart. I love the comparison with the gum tree. 🙂

    And as usual, your pictures are stunning and really capture a mood. I love them.

    *hugs*

    I hope you’re feeling well! ❤

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        1. Mmm, pretty good. I’m actually going to post the recipe tonight. Someone asked me for it today so I thought it was a good excuse to make it! 🙂

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