Most of us have probably seen the very popular celebrity-driven ad campaign by Capital One Bank that inquires, “What’s in your wallet?”  That slogan tends to linger in one’s consciousness due to the frequency of its airing, the longevity of the campaign, and the charismatic smiles of notorieties. The question snapped back yesterday while transferring items from my signature handbag to a different smaller handbag,

Challenged to prioritize the items due to the downsizing, I hovered for a just a few moments over these “everyday” essentials. While doing so, I experienced a consciousness shift and a change in energy. What presented itself as an “ordinary” activity felt more curious. “Why is this item in my bag?” “How do I use it?” “Why do I choose to put it in the bag?” “How meaningful is it to me? “What is its value to me? And, why?” Quite suddenly, I was transported from the conduct of accomplishing a mundane activity to that of a social researcher, from thoughtlessness to mindfulness, and frommindlessness to reflection.

This cogitating became quite illuminating leading to some insights about my identity, culture, perspective, values, and current lifestyle. That’s what is called a “qualitative experience!”

Here’s a summary of my rather ordinary—or extraordinary—discoveries in my iconic handbag:

• A dinner napkin with the words, “Keep Life Simple” decoratively calligraphed: For times that solicit a gentle mantra to “slow down,” “let go of the small stuff” and to not “get caught in every wind.” This paper dinner napkin is valuable to me as a portal into wisdom. It passes down to me from my recently departed Mom who must have decided that dinner napkin was a bit more than “ordinary.”
• Two Rosaries: For times that present themselves for meditation on the Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious and Luminous Mysteries. Two rosaries are for sharing the prayer together–a practice common in my family of origin, and now, continued in my religious life. The prayer beads “lie in wait” for meditation, whatever the circumstance.
• Lavender hand cream: For times that require a relaxing fragrance, and a quick hand massage. The fragrance of lavender is an olfactory transport to fields of purple delicate buds that calm the mind and spirit.
• Kleenex or Puffs: For times when seasonal allergies flare up in the sultry South. Gardenias. Magnolia’s. Honeysuckle. Who doesn’t need to carry a soft tissue? Besides, as a person with a tender heart, a tissue should always remain handy.
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  A Highlighter and several gel pens: For times when all avid readers resonate so much with an expression or a thought, they want to put yellow marker on it and for all times when writers need to grab a pen because the words just start to flow.
• A plastic knife: For times when an apple just needs peanut butter.
• A comb: For times when the adjustment of one’s appearance seems important to self- self-presentation. There are times when a comb is also useful as a ruler or a guide in different circumstances.
• Sweet and Low: For times when only the pink packet will make your ice-tea “saccharin sweet.”
• A little note pad: For times when you write a quick note that says at the top, “Trust in the Lord!” to yourself or to another.
• Rubber bands: For times that inevitably arise when something is needed to “hold things together” or “wrap something up.”
• Face Cream: For times when our skin tells the truth, along the rest of the body: “It’s dry! Hydrate!” Whether I am listening or not, it is faithful to speaking.
• Wallet: For transactions that “cost.” “What is the price to pay?”

Reflecting on the ordinary in my life in such a manner, I find hints to my ontology described as

• A person born and raised in the culturally vibrant city of New Orleans where some stereotypical gender referenced behaviors still linger.
• A person who is a prolific reader and who, while uses a smartphone, still loves printed books and keeps them on shelves to re-read those parts that are highlighted for future reference. A person who still write notes of all sorts: thank you, sympathy, invitations, and even “thinking of you.”
• A person whose plans are constantly disrupted by macro processes at work in the universe, and who believes in resetting to a new horizon.
• A person who honors “ordinariness” knowing that illuminative moments frequently manifest in rather routine unassuming moments.
• A person of faith and prayer and who finds plentiful grace in the ordinary.

So, I ask you, “What is in your “wallet?” What does it reveal about you? What do you discover as you consider each item and its reason for finding a place in your bag? How does the ordinary become simply “extraordinary” for you?