Good in the Ordinary
Find something good inside a completely unremarkable moment.
Good in the Ordinary is one of the 108 practices in 108 Moments. It is a mindfulness practice you do with your eyes open, in the middle of an ordinary day. There is nothing to sit down for. You carry one line with you, and each time you catch the moment it describes, that counts.
How to try it today
- Read the line once in the morning: Find something good inside a completely unremarkable moment.
- Go about your day. When you catch it happening, that is one moment.
- Count it. Move a bead, or tap once in the app.
- Aim for eighteen moments. Fewer still counts, and a missed day is not a failure.
How to practice Good in the Ordinary
What to look for
Waiting for the coffee to brew. Folding laundry that's still warm. The walk from the car. The catch is finding something good inside a moment that would never make a highlight reel — the quiet of the kitchen, the ten minutes with nothing due. The common miss is hunting for highlights and skipping everything between them. Ordinary is where most of your life actually happens, so that's where the practice has to work.
Why it works
If good only lives in highlights, then most of any life is filler — and that's a losing arithmetic no vacation can fix. But attention finds what it's asked to find: ask an ordinary moment "what's good here?" and it usually answers. The unremarkable stretches of a day turn out to hold most of its supply, precisely because there are so many of them. Eighteen catches sounds like a lot until you notice the ordinary is stocked.
Where you might catch it
Waiting for the kettle
The kettle ticks and hisses. You have nothing to do but stand there. Look for one good thing in that gap. Maybe it's the steam on the window, or the weight of your favorite mug in your hand. Maybe it's just thirty seconds where nobody needs you. That counts as a catch.
Stopped at a red light
The light turns red and you are stuck for a minute. Instead of drumming the wheel, look around for something good. The sun on the dashboard. A song you actually like on the radio. A dog in the car next to you with its head out the window. Notice it, and count one.
Kids at breakfast
Breakfast is the usual rush of spoons and lost shoes. Somewhere in it is one good thing. Your kid humming while they eat. The smell of toast. Everyone at the same table for five minutes. You don't need to slow the morning down. Just spot one good piece of it and count it.
Before the meeting starts
People trickle in and the screen is still loading. Most people check email here. Try finding something good instead. A coworker's easy laugh. A warm cup of tea in your hands. A chair that's actually comfortable. Two minutes with nothing asked of you yet. Catch it, then let the meeting begin.
Washing the dishes
Your hands are in warm water and the plates keep coming. It's the kind of chore you rush through. Look for one good thing inside it. The water's warmth on cold hands. A clean glass catching the light. The kitchen finally quiet after dinner. Find it, and that's a moment.
In line at the store
The line barely moves and your basket is getting heavy. This is a classic filler moment. Look for something good in it anyway. The cashier chatting with an older customer. Bright oranges stacked by the register. A minute to stand still. Small is fine. You're not grading it, just noticing it.
If it isn't clicking
I keep forgetting until bedtime
The ordinary moments don't announce themselves, so they slide by. Tie the practice to something you already do many times a day. Each time you open a door, or pick up your phone, ask what's good right here. If bedtime arrives first, look back over the day. Count what you find.
Nothing in this moment feels good
Some moments really are dull or hard. You don't have to pretend otherwise. Look smaller. A warm sock. The chair holding you up. Daylight through a window. The good part doesn't have to outweigh the rest. It just has to be there. If you truly can't find one, let it go and try the next moment.
I only notice the big stuff
A great lunch or a funny text is easy to catch. Those count. But most of your day happens between them. Look there too. The walk to the mailbox. Brushing your teeth. Waiting for a file to download. Each plain moment you catch counts the same as a big one.
Six levels deep
This page covers the first level. In the app, Good in the Ordinary goes six levels deep, with its own line at each one. The move stays the same. Only where you point it changes.
- NoticeJust catch it. Nothing else. There is no wrong answer.
- RelateCatch it. Then notice how you took it.
- Turn TowardPoint it at the hard stuff on purpose.
- SteadyDo it on bad days too. Tired days. Busy days.
- WidenPoint it wider. Strangers. Crowds. People you avoid.
- RadiateSpot a chance to pass it on. Taking it is up to you.
Questions
What does finding good in ordinary moments mean?
It means pausing inside a plain part of the day and spotting one thing that's good about it. Not a big win. Something small and real, like warm sun on your arm or a quiet hallway. The moment stays ordinary. You just notice what was already good in it.
Is this the same as a gratitude practice?
They overlap, but this is simpler. You aren't listing things or writing them down. You're catching one good detail in the moment you're in, right as it happens. Gratitude often looks back at the day. This practice looks around at the next ordinary minute, wherever you are.
What if I'm having a bad day?
This practice doesn't ask you to feel good or ignore what's hard. It only asks you to notice one small good thing that's also there. On a rough day, that might be a hot shower or a kind text. One catch is fine. Missing it is fine too.
How long does Good in the Ordinary take?
Each catch takes a second or two. You do not set time aside. The practice runs in the background of whatever you are already doing, and you count the moments you catch.
Is this meditation?
Not the sit-down kind. It is informal mindfulness: paying attention on purpose during ordinary moments, with your eyes open and your day still moving.
Do I need the necklace?
No. The app keeps count for you. The necklace is an optional way to keep count with your hands: eighteen beads, two strands of nine.