Halfmoon happenings: From ‘ordinary’ to ‘extraordinary’ in the New Year

Happy New Year! Have you made New Year’s resolutions? This tradition is ingrained in our culture, but is it effective? I’m wary of the pitfalls of making resolutions – what if Jan. 1 shows up and I’m not ready, or I’m ready before Jan. 1? I’ve made several lifestyle changes; none were on a resolutions list and none started on Jan. 1. Recently, a friend of mine told me that she intended to commence a significant lifestyle change on New Years Day and then decided “why wait, why not do it now?” Meaningful personal growth is a process that takes place through reflection and adaptation to life’s changing circumstances. So, while resolutions can be motivating, remember that any day is a good day to start something new. 

The other day, my son and I were chatting about the “pursuit of happiness.” We live in a society that promotes the “new and improved”; that acquiring a bigger house, a new car, or the latest cellphone, is the only road to happiness. What if, I postulated, contentment is found in the ordinary? What if, in our grasping for more, we miss the wonderful, ordinary moments that add up to an extraordinary life. Mark Manson writes “extraordinary results are a matter of repeating ordinary actions over a long period of time. Start with ordinary.” Mark Nepo suggests contentment is found when we “slip into the stream of the ordinary.” Local residents and musicians Simon Paradis and Paul Dwyer named their band “Them Ordinary Things,” taken from a Hans Christian Anderson quote: “The whole world is a series of miracles, but we’re so used to them we call them ordinary things.” This Jan. 1 morning, I walked along English Bay in Vancouver, captivated by a myriad of ordinary things – people walking their dogs, ducks pecking for food, far away mountains glistening in the sun, the bluest of skies. It was extraordinary. 

Marketplace (Chris Hergesheimer and his son Solomon) kick off their winter tour at the Gumboot Café on Jan. 11, 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 online ($12 at the door) and can be purchased at eventbrite.ca/e/marketplace-24-tickets-776071459627. I can say assuredly that you will not want to miss this extraordinary music made by two ordinary fellas. Chris writes “There ain’t nothing like doing music with [my son]. We’re officially rebooting the anti-capitalist, acoustic folk project I was half of in the early 2000s. The messages of this music and the struggles remain.” The songs were resurrected by Solomon when he came upon the CDs and set about learning the music. Thus, Marketplace was born. 

The monthly meeting of the Halfmoon Bay Branch of the Sunshine Coast Healthcare Auxiliary is being held on Jan. 8 at Coopers Green Hall from 9:45 a.m. to noon. All are welcome. Learn about what extraordinary things this non-profit makes happen!