Making the most of ours ...
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I thought one day was really one day,
One day is a fun day.
I like one day.
One day makes another.
Because when I think about one day
there are a lot of days in my heart.
And that makes a lot of days.
Amy , age 8 (reprinted by permission)
I discovered the poem above on a friend’s blog last week, in the midst of a hectic and packed scramble. Her daughter’s words caught me, helping me briefly find the pause button. I have this tendency to measure my days by what’s accomplished, rather than what’s enjoyed or learned (or earned for that matter). It makes for some very productive days, and at times some very frustrating ones, for both me and my family. If I’m in the middle of a super-productive push, running into snags doesn’t slow me down like you’d expect. I up the ante and add more projects, with the assumption that at least that way, something will get done! Twisted perhaps, but it’s the way I often work.
I like one day. It’s a definable, discrete amount of time that I am very familiar with. I know how much can be crammed into it, and how much it can be relaxed into and wandered through with no concept of time. How one day of labor seems like an eternity, and one day of talking with a friend seems to fly by. The choice we make, every morning, of how to spend it. Even if the day’s events are mapped out or habitual, we can choose our approach to them. Eager, frantic, enjoying, angry, relaxed, steady, conscious, flexible, frustrated, expectant, thankful ... the way we choose to approach the day has a dramatic effect on how we view it, regardless of the events.
One day makes another. The memory of days carried with you, and the potential of days ahead. The reminder that it IS just one day ... one day at a time. It’s so easy to get caught up in the push of something that we lose perspective. We forget that there are things to be enjoyed, learned, remembered, and built on every day, as well as things to accomplish. What days stay in your heart? The ones where you checked off a million things, or the ones where you learn how to connect with someone new, enjoy a new flavor, realize how far you’ve come, or feel deliciously complete for no apparent reason? The answer is obvious, but remembering it when tail-spinning is difficult! The best parts in life rarely come from a list. Because when I think about one day, there are a lot of days in my heart. What days are in yours?