Learning from the Mundane

As we go through a life transition, here are five lessons I'm learning. They might seem silly and ordinary, but there’s always learning from the mundane!

One – Leaves dry, die, and drop. A truth I’ve known for years and often reflected on as the seasons change.

Changing Seasons Blog

But that was all Doxis. Praxis was someone else’s problem - the task of cleaning and clearing the fallen leaves. Today, it’s mine. A daily morning ritual. And so, it's more relevant and real than ever.

Then my spouse had a suggestion: cut off some branches so fewer leaves would fall. But within 3–4 days - as if to remind me that you can cut, clear, or clean, but I’ll be back - the leaves returned each morning! As if to say, ‘Unless you cut me off at the root, I will grow again and continue the circle of life’.

A great lesson this season: things might change, but if roots are well-grounded, life will emerge from broken branches too!

Two – You must take care of your waste. Once cleaned, what do you do with the collected waste? Yesterday, you could leave it outside for someone else to handle. But in this new location, it’s expected that you manage your own waste. Don’t expect others to deal with what you produce.

We must have wet waste pits, dry waste burning systems—and this must be done daily. Otherwise, it piles up and stinks you out!

Another great reminder: waste will emerge every day in life. Don’t dump it on others—take care of your own waste so that you and others can live peacefully! (There seems to be a  preoccupation with waste and junk - not sure why 😊)

Dump the Junk Blog

Three – Keeping newness and freshness takes effort. A few things are new around the house - car, household items, etc. It’s a job to keep them looking new and fresh.

Dirt and dust have a way of clinging to all things new—especially in the corners, crevices, and not-so-visible areas. This is a new praxis learning. Earlier, even with more dust, there were systems in place. The car washer came every morning, and someone else dusted the house.

Today, the new things seem to scream at me: “Clean me up! Look how dirty I already am!” I regret that it’s a bit late in life to learn this: the discipline of removing dust and dirt daily, so that I stay fresh each day. 

An invitation to find purpose in the mundane too. 

Four – People die every day. As a doctor, I know that death is part of life. But in urban India, death was occasional. You tend to ignore mortality until the rare day you hear someone you know has passed away.

Life seems to revolve around the young (though I’m on the other side of age 😊). We went to a nearby metro to visit family for four days, and our neighbour called to say three people had died in the last two days in our area!

Being part of a cross-generational community, births, marriages, baptisms, and deaths are regular occurrences.

Until now, I could live with mortality as a future possibility. Today, I can’t. I’m reminded it’s a reality that can happen to anyone, any time.

A theory I knew but kept in away in ‘Deep Memory” and not in RAM. Now this is moving into my daily consciousness. Interestingly, it no longer feels morbid - people here seem to face it with far more candour and realism. A good change for me this season!

Finally – Nature cleans the earth.

Though leaves fall, waste accumulates, newness fades, and mortality is real, there is freshness around every day.

The evening rains that cool the hot, humid air bring welcome relief. And each morning, new leaves and plants pop up. Birds hover, trying to drink nectar from tiny flowers, making their presence known with cheerful noise.

There’s a truth here: the invisible hand of the Creator sustains freshness, newness, and life all around.

All I need to do is - open my eyes (set aside the mobile), change my spectacles (a higher ground) unblock my ears (remove the earphones), and quieten my heart (set aside my anxieties.) 

Be still and know…