Finding Meaning in the Mundane

Scour the news for an entirely uninteresting story. Consider how it connects to your life. Write about that.

While scrolling through the news today, I stumbled upon a headline that read:
“City Council Approves New Regulation on Streetlight Pole Paint Color.”
Apparently, after months of deliberation, the council decided all streetlight poles will now be painted “Urban Gray” instead of “Municipal Bronze.”

At first, I laughed. Who cares what color a streetlight pole is? Surely this is one of the most mundane things I’ve ever read. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized how strangely comforting it was.

In a world full of chaos—conflicts, disasters, constant change—there’s something oddly reassuring about people taking time to debate the shade of paint for a metal pole. It reminded me that behind the big news, life is still happening at its most ordinary level. People still go to long meetings. Bureaucracy still hums along. Someone out there is passionately arguing that gray feels more “modern” and “calming” for public infrastructure.

And maybe that’s the part that connects to my life.
It’s easy to get lost in the big, dramatic moments or feel overwhelmed by the headlines that shake the world. But most of my days are filled with the equivalent of streetlight paint colors—small decisions, quiet routines, and the unnoticed details that still shape the atmosphere of everything else.

So yes, this story was entirely uninteresting. But it reminded me that even the dullest updates are part of the bigger picture.
And sometimes, the unimportant stuff… is exactly what keeps life feeling normal.