Any day above ground

Them: How's it going?
Me: <evaluates>

Me: Today is a good day
Them: Any day above ground is a good day

Me: <introspective thoughts>

This scene repeats itself fairly often and it always gives me pause because I don't know that the sentiment is true and I don't know how to respond.  It may be true to them . . . but it might not be and it's definitely not true for everyone.

We don't know about what comes after we die.  Most of us have beliefs about what happens but that's not the same as *knowing* and most of the beliefs are that the next place is better than what we have here in this life.  The next stage may be filled with ultimate joy or rest or knowledge. Any day below ground may be BETTER than a day above ground. 

Being above ground has it's own set of issues.  It can be full of stress or pain or unhappiness.  A day above ground might be the same as the previous day and the one before that and the next day is going to be the same too; joyless repetition.  A day above ground could include the death of a loved one.  A day above ground can include a job loss or a fight with your partner.  Being above ground does not automatically make any day a good day.

We don't know what we don't know about being below ground.  All we have is what we have today . . above ground.  That doesn't make it a good day though.  For a day above ground to be a good day it might take effort and mindfulness.  A day above ground has choices that we can make to make it good; either by our actions or by our outlook.

Them: How's it going?
Me: <evaluates>

Me: Today is a good day
Them: Any day above ground is a good day

Me: Each day is what we make it

Tomorrow is a do-over

I tried.

All day long I tried.

I smiled, I laughed, I focused on doing good for others.

I thought of all the people that don't have the blessings I have.

I really tried.

Today was not a good day though.

Today, in fact, was horrible.

I was late for things.

People were grumpy.

The weather was crappy.

My friends weren't friendly.

My pet didn't love me.

Nothing worked the way it was supposed to.

I want a do-over.

I need a do-over

Wait!

There is a way to HAVE a do-over.

It's called "tomorrow".

There are no guarantees that tomorrow will be better than today but there IS the opportunity for a good day.  

When today overwhelms you remember that it's just one day.  One of many in your life. 
Try to let today go and move on to tomorrow.  It's ready and waiting for you!

I have accomplished much today

"I have accomplished much today"

Recently, I found myself answering with this response when asked how my day is going.
It's funny (to me) because while I try to make a mindful response, I don't always know what's going to come out of my mouth and the first time I said that . . . I was surprised.

It wasn't that I surprised by what I said exactly, because when asked, I did a mental run-down of my day and I actually had done a lot of stuff.  None of it was huge and life changing.  Most of it was what some would classify as the day-to-day drudgery of suburban life.  The point was though, that I had done things.  I had started and finished.

I love the feeling of completing a big project; giving myself the mental high-five knowing that I DID THAT!  I understand though that most days are not full of those sorts of projects.  They are full of going to work and doing laundry and driving the kids where they need to go.  That's OK though.  Those types of things need to be done and doing them is important.

It's important to remember that good days are not always BIG days.  They are sometimes little days filled with little things.

It's not always easy to do those little things though.  The days can be long and weigh on you. Sometimes doing anything seems like too much work.  It's those days where you might have to not focus on what you didn't do and focus on what you did.  "I got out of bed."  "I went to work (and did things)."

The truth is that you probably accomplished much today.  And tomorrow you will have the opportunity to try again.

Borrowing Worry

Worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy. ~Leo Buscaglia

The future is such an unknown.  Starting from the next moment until the moment of death an infinite number of things can happen in our lives.

Some paths are ones you make:

• Do you take this route or that route to your next appointment?  
• Do you take this job or that one?  
• Do you make this goal a priority or that one?  

Other paths are outside of your control but can affect you just as much  . .  . or more.

A sure-fire way to ruin a good day though, is to borrow worry from those possible futures.  Worry is a very real thing.  It can weigh you down and make it hard to function.  Worrying about all the possible "mights" is a poor investment.  The pay-off for borrowing worry from the future is just more worry.  It's a losing bet that's collected daily.

This is not to say that we shouldn't think about our possible futures.  We should plan and strive and do our best to make our tomorrows what we want them to be.  Planning isn't the same as worrying though.  Planning is a weight lifter.

Recognizing that you only have so much control and letting the worry about the future pass through you and over you can make today a good day. 
Don't borrow worry from the future.  Leave it where (and when) it is so that you can invest in the now.

Self-care is not selfish (nor is it shellfish)

Can a person have a good day if they don't take care of themselves? Do you know a person who is always doing for others until they just can't anymore? Does it seem that even though they are doing good day things, they are not having good days?

Sure, making today a good day is often about doing for others but it's OK though, to do things for yourself; sometimes it's almost required so that you can recharge and keep going.

Take some time today and list activities that make make you happy. Try to think of ones that don't take too long and don't require too much preparation. 

Things that make me happy when I need a boost:

• Making coffee - grinding, brewing, smelling, drinking; it's the process more than the drink
• Napping - in the sun with the nap blanket
• Drinking a glass of wine - dry and spicy
• Facebooking - catching up with friends and family
• Reading - fiction, non-fiction . . anything is fine
• Writing - things like this essay
• Exercising - this doesn't actually make me happy, but it's effects do and I like those

Other self-care activities:

• Meditating
• Cooking
• Eating
• Walking
• Gardening
• Crafting
• Gaming

Self-care doesn't need to take a lot of time (but it can if you have it to spare). Self-care doesn't need to involve anyone else (but you can involve people or pets if you have a ready friend). Find your happy thing and let people know that it's important to you and necessary.

If anyone hassles you for being selfish, tell them *I* said it was OK.

Today could be the last ______

Today could be the last sunny day of the year.
That spark on your walk could be the last firefly of the summer.
A magical kiss might be the last kiss with the person you thought was the one.
The sack might be the last school lunch you make for you child.

Today could be the last [whatever] for the day, season, year, or your life.

Last things happen.

You don't need to just be sad about "lasts" though.  It's important to be aware that the big and small events that make up our days are fragile and fleeting and worth being aware of or even cherishing.

Try to make the effort to notice the things that bring you joy, small and large.  Hold them in your heart and in your mind for when they are not there.  Tell people about your joys, share the tiny gifts you encounter that make your life better so they might notice them more in their own lives.

The older you are, the fewer new things you might experience.  You know however, that things end.  Things end all the time.  Someday, even you will end and your friends and loved ones will look back on their "lasts" with you.  Today is a good day to make sure that the lasts are noticed and not ignored.

Today could be your last today.  Strive to make it memorable.

Practice makes perfect (or at least better)

Very few people are good at things the first time.  Most people need repetition and refinement to become good at anything.

The same is true for making days that don't seem so good . . . good days.

A key to becoming good at anything is to practice.

When I started making/recognizing good days, it wasn't as easy as it is now.  I had to work to notice all the good things that made up my life.  From the people I interacted with and how I interacted with them, to the things that made my life comfortable (like water, and shelter, and food), to the place I lived I needed to pay more attention.

The same things one day were often the same things as the day before but new things came to mind none-the-less.  Sometimes those things were more common (like my children's laughter) and sometimes they were esoteric ("How amazing it is that we humans can think! How does that even work?") but new things were always popping up.  They popped up because I was always looking. 

When asked how my day is, I do an inventory of good things that day.  As I did almost anything throughout my day I also asked myself what made it part of my good day.  

Over the years, it has become a part of who I am.  I practiced.

Look actively

Look often

Look regularly

Look harder

Look deeper

Practice.