Bread to toast; water to tea

The transformation of plain things can be so simple! How can we do this with things around us?

Rodrigo Rivera

Imagine that bookmarks had never been invented, or mug handles, or CTRL+C CTRL+V! It probably wouldn’t be catastrophic to our lives, but it would make everything ever slightly more tedious. Now imagine if sliced bread had JUST been invented. What about escalators, or clothing zippers? Everyone would be all over them, wondering how they could have lived for so long without the vital convenience they offer.

Well, as an international student, that’s how I was feeling all the time when I first came to the United States. Sure, we also have all those things I just mentioned back home, but there’s a lot of other things that were first-timers for me. Snow, for example, is the sort of thing most people here wouldn’t bat an eye at. However, I fondly remember the first snowfall of the winter, and how most everyone seemed rather annoyed at its announcement of the forthcoming inconveniences. 

Meanwhile, I was stuck to the classroom window recording the damn thing, admiring how it made everything look just whiter by the second. The moment the lecture was dismissed, I rushed outside and braced myself for what I thought was the coolest thing ever! I just stared at it, letting it hit me in the face, for like a minute straight. I looked crazy, but I had just discovered my sliced bread.

Nonetheless, I’m here to tell you that you don’t need to experience something for the first time for it to be special. Think about it: Was that snow any more magical just because it was the first? I’d argue it was not (in fact, it kinda sucked by snow standards). The only thing that made it different was the amount of expectation and wonder I put into it. Think about all of your firsts: your first paycheck, your first kiss, your first time talking to your best friend, or your first time nailing that tricky skill you can do now with your eyes closed. Chances are they weren’t the best ones, but they still feel special compared to the rest. Now imagine how fulfilling life could be if we kept that sense of discovery with us in our day-to-day life.

The appreciation of our experiences caused by discovery is what gives life its spice! Unfortunately, our brains have the bad habit of getting used to everything that they’ve already seen. Now, you could always keep shifting your routine, never repeating a day, but let’s be realistic; we all need at least some repetition. Instead, I propose that you find it in yourself to always take a moment to adopt an outsider’s perspective on your own life. When you’re eating food you like, really focus on the flavors; when you hang out with friends, realize how cool it is that you’ve got all these amazing people in your life; when you’re studying, marvel at the gigantic opportunity of getting to dedicate your time to learning.

And you don’t have to stop there! Be impressed by the most seemingly familiar things. Look at your wardrobe and remember how much you loved the style of each item before you bought them. Go all out when you’re listening to your favorite song—dance if you want! Catch yourself repeating a phrase you always say, and think back to where you picked it up from! Send your friend a funny email just because! Treasure the possibilities awaiting on every new day! Basically, if you manage to find excitement anew in the small things, you’ll find that repetitiveness can transform into near child-like wonder, and perhaps you’ll even discover there’s much more to those routine activities you once took for granted than you initially thought.

My advice: Never think you’re too good for life itself. It can get boring when you think you know everything and you never let yourself enjoy things. The best way to combat monotony is to adopt a mindful and intentional mentality, to make each moment count. After all, the less you go on autopilot, the more you get to be the one driving.