I will have none of that

I was on a very crowded bus the other day smashed into the railing by the driver and a song was playing on her radio that had an interesting chorus line. The lead vocalist sang over and over, "it's just a run of the mill day..." First of all, that is such an interesting phrase. How long has it been around? Who has mills and runs them, or who even knows what a mill looks like or is familiar with how they work? It would be interesting to discover the origins of that phrase and trace its roots.
But it got me thinking, a run of the mill day is the daily grind, the same thing in and out, over and over. Perhaps a "run of the mill day" was more the norm in the 1800s when you were isolated from your neighbors and your day consisted of feeding animals and tending crops and basic farm life subsistence. Even still, some days a pig gets sick, or the chickens aren't as productive, or your wagon wheel breaks. Can any day truly be just "run of the mill"? It seems a horribly pessimistic way to live. Granted, it does take some extra effort to conciously decide to have interesting days, to break out of the groove and love life, to explore, to be creative. With the help of friends who are like minded, I realize that one of the ways to nurture your creativity is to see everyday things in a new way. The goal then, is to be surprised by something every day. To life--and all its newness.