The Spirituality of Everyday Things

You don’t need a temple to have a spiritual experience. Sometimes you just need a bird feeder.

One of the most understated themes in Some Observations and Opinions is the sacredness of the ordinary. Joel Aaron Smith doesn’t just write about God or Zen or religious texts; he writes about listening to owls, watching moss grow, or lighting a joint while thinking about the universe.

It’s not irreverent. It’s real.

Spirituality, in Smith’s hands, becomes something deeply personal, not bound by rituals or institutions, but discovered in the slow quiet of daily life. He might reference a Taoist principle, then immediately undercut it with humor. Or quote from the Torah, then wander into a story about his cat.

The result? A kind of lived theology, honest, messy, grounded.

What makes these essays so moving is that they don’t aim to convert or correct. They simply reveal a man trying to stay awake to life. Whether through painting, aging, prayer, or a walk through the woods, Smith’s reflections remind us that holiness might be hiding in plain sight.

Readers who’ve ever found themselves feeling more spiritually alive on a rainy Tuesday than inside a church pew will recognize this sensibility right away.

Some Observations and Opinions isn’t a book about religion. It’s a book about wonder, and all the small, strange, beautiful places it shows up.