Dearest Josephine and Appreciating the Small Things in Life

 Happy September First! 

So, I finished Dearest Josephine by Caroline George on Monday. It's not the typical thing I read, but it was highly recommended by one of my best friends and she gave me a personalized copy of it while I was in the middle of reading it, so how could I not read this book?? 

Anyway, it took me longer than usual to finish a book, but I think that's just because it was such a deep and meaningful look. It was a lot to process and not just like one of those easy to read, fun type of books. I mean, it was fun and beautiful and I loved reading it, but it wasn't a book you just fly through. There were so many themes and messages woven throughout the story that I wanted to soak up. 

One of the themes that stood out to me the most (and I don't know if this was a purposeful theme or something that just stuck out to me) was how there can be beauty and romance in the mundane. I am one of those people that does not like mundane. I love routine and yet I feel stifled and empty when routine blurs into day after day of doing the same things. Day after day of the small stuff like doing classwork, helping out around the house, writing at the same time and the same amount every day. Eating the same foods and seeing the same people. Talking about the same things and doing the same chores week after week. Its the enneagram 4 in me that rears its head in the mundane and tries to break lose because it does not like doing normal, boring stuff. It does not like being like everyone else. I feel like my life becomes pointless and meaningless when nothing exciting or new happens. When I'm not being productive or "doing enough" in the day. Things became very apparent when I got my wisdom teeth out last Friday and I spent the whole weekend and Monday feeling like crap. I couldn't write. I couldn't do anything and it made me feel even worse because I wasn't being productive even though I knew I needed to take it easy and let my body heal. 

All year I've been struggling with this low grade depressive thought of life is meaningless. What is the point to what I am doing? What's the point of my writing? What's the point of doing this classwork or doing literally anything? What was the point of graduating next year and getting a job? It felt so meaningless and so empty. Everything I did felt empty. These thoughts have stuck with me literally year until recently (thank the Lord for medication that helps ward off depression) and it was really tough. It made my life feel like it had no purpose. Even when I reminded myself that I did have purpose and meaning because I had the Lord and He's called me to live a life for Him I couldn't get my brain to truly accept that. 

But again, thanks to medication and me constantly reminding myself of the truth I haven't been plagued by these thoughts or feelings as much. I could go into a side note about how that's why it's so important to know and memorize the truth of the Word because then in our darkest moments we can cling to it... but maybe I'll do a post about that another day haha 

Back to Dearest Josephine though. I'm so used to reading and writing books where the main characters are doing something spectacular. They're world-changers. They impact the world around them in amazing ways. That's what happens in fantasy. The MC finds out they have magical powers or are the chosen one. The MC meets the man of her dreams and falls madly in love while also saving the world. And that's great and fun to read. I love those kinds of books. But I think books like Dearest Josephine are important too. 

In Dearest Josephine we follow Elias, Josephine, Josie and Faith. (Yes there are two Josephine's. One named Josephine and one nick-named Josie. It's a long story haha). And throughout the whole book they're doing normal every day things. I mean, yeah Josie goes to live in this super old amazing house in a small, charming town in England, but her days are very normal. Very average. Faith, Elias and Josephine's days are full of the same. They're going about their daily lives. Josie is fixing up the old house. She's reading Elias' letters and his novel she found. She's getting a job at the local bakery and emailing her friend and doing chores and running errands. Josie doesn't save the world or change the world. She's just living her life. And so is Elias (who lived in the 1800's). He's going about his normal life. Writing letters, hanging out with friends, going for walks and horseback rides. He's painting and writing and the thing is, his novel never got published. His novel was read by one person a hundred years after he died. It was read by Josie and it changed her life and brought her hope and spoke to her in amazing ways. Elias didn't think his letters or his novel would do anything for anyone. He wrote them for himself and them hid them away. 

That's what struck me the most about this book. Josie and Elias and their lives still had meaning and purpose even when they were just living life. Doing the small, insignificant stuff. They appreciated the small things in life. Elias wrote and he painted and he picked flowers and conversed with friends. Josie did renovations and had a part time job and hung out with friends and read all day. 

And it just made me realize how much we don't appreciate the small things in life. Our world is all about the hustle. It is all about the world changers and earth shakers. If you aren't working toward a bigger goal in life, if you aren't chasing that next promotion or to sell millions of copies of your book or being a social media influencer or a missionary reaching thousands of people with the gospel... then you're life isn't as meaningful as the people are doing all those things. In my mind I saw it as God can't use me and isn't using me as much as He is other people. My life is less significant because I'm not hustling enough, I'm not working hard enough, doing enough. 

But that's not true. I think we need to get back to appreciating life as it is. My friend and I were talking about this when I finished Dearest Josephine, about how people need to start romanticizing their lives again. They need to start appreciating every little thing and truly living in the moment. Stopping to smell the roses. Relishing that first cup of coffee in the morning. Cheering and celebrating over one sold book even if that's the only book you've sold all year. Knowing that God is using you even when you're helping fold laundry or volunteering at the local church in some small way. 

Dearest Josephine drove home for me that life is so much more than the highest mountain peeks. Life is about walking the steady plain and finding meaning and purpose in the mundane day by day activities. 

I don't know if anyone else struggles with feeling this way, but I want you to know that you matter and your life has purpose and meaning no matter where you are or what you're doing. 

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If you can't tell, I highly recommend Dearest Josephine by Caroline George. Even if contemporary isn't you're thing I'd still say give it a try. You can find out more about it HERE.