Ordinary. But not so.

As I write this I can see my white coloured tote bag hanging on a nail in front of me. It is made of super sturdy jute like cloth, is appropriately spacious and looks smart. This is an ordinary bag if you look at it but not so ordinary because this one makes my shoulder feel belonged. It fits right in, my hand always reaches out for this one, it gives me a feeling of being complete. You know, sort of a full stop to dressing up. I don’t really think about shoulders much (not that weird, yet). But this bag today made me think about them. How they’ve become home for this one. How shoulders are just silent companions. Your face, your limbs, still can emote a lot but shoulders are a little restrictive in this department. They are just there holding you together. And do I need to mention their love language? The gravest of griefs are easier to face if you have a shoulder to give or to lean on. No words, no hope, just being there in silence. Shoulders exist and just do the needful. They are ordinary, but not so.

This bag also reminds me of how much I love running errands. I realised it long back that everyone loves floating in a water body or hiking under the sun every once in a while. But at the end of it one has to come back to the daily life routine. And to maximise the joy I feel in a lifetime I need to be as in love with my daily life as I love its escape routes. And I don’t love running errands for this logic I just gave I have been enjoying it before this realisation even hit me. I prefer to run my errands all by myself because I love this me-time. I am not lethargic, presentably dressed (even if I am in my Pyjamas), it gives me a gateway to new stimulus, and mostly because I am at peace with a pace. It also reminded me of the fact that I always need to carry a whole lot of things as and when I step out. It’s a whole new world inside my bag. I always think I need more, more than I actually need. And this feeling my friends is fine until and unless it is limited as your bag habit.

I don’t know how to close this spiral of thoughts this bag led me to. Is it about the bag? Is it about shoulders? Or is it about romanticising chores?

I think it is about all the ordrinary seeming things which are not so ordinary.

Originally published at https://shivalisharma.substack.com on February 16, 2022.