Daily, ordinary life is mundane and a slog for many people. There is a lot of encouragement out there to live your best life and aspire to greatness. But the building blocks of greatness are mundane, and well, ordinary. Or maybe you don’t want a great life, but you do want to be content in your ordinary life. Here are five books to help you love your ordinary life.
The Liturgy of the Ordinary by Tish Harrison Warren
Tish is an Episcopal priest who invites you to live sacred practices in everyday life. The PBJ on the cover gives such a sense of ordinary, and the table of contents continues that sense. Some chapter titles are: Making the Bed, Losing Keys, Checking Email. Centered around prayers from the Book of Common Prayer, Tish will lead you through the day in a way that helps you find the sacred in the ordinary.
The Quotidian Mysteries by Kathleen Norris
The subtitle of this is Laundry, Liturgy, and “Women’s Work”. In less than 100 pages Kathleen shares the history of menial work and the beauty of the work that supports all of our lives. The connections between ordinary life and spiritual life are closer than you may think.
Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin
Gretchen applies a scientific mindset to homelife. While her earlier book focused on general life happiness, she turns her view to home here. Home is a life where all ordinary life is lived. Minimalist or maximalist, a farmhouse or a tiny apartment, learning to be happier in your own home will help you love your ordinary life.
The Lazy Genius Kitchen by Kendra Adachi
This is not a cookbook, but it will teach you how to cook and how to love your kitchen. Kendra brings her sense of humor and lazy genius skillset to the ordinary kitchen, no expensive renovation required. Ordinary life does not have to mean being frustrated and overwhelmed by the most basic of human functions, feeding yourself.
Laundry Love by Patric Richardson
Laundry is one of my favorite chores. If it is not yours then Patric will find joy in this common chore. From practical tips on stain removal to hilarious stories of laundry drama, this book will help you love your ordinary laundry. If you have to do it, you may as well not hate it, right?
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