Every day’s a new day. I am grateful for that fact. It generally means that I can have a difficult, low-energy, “blue” day one day, and have a totally different kind of day the next. That was true today, as it often is. One thing that has been true for me over the past few months is that while I’ve often expressed the wish that after having a particularly good day I could actually have two really good days in a row, I have not often suffered from two really bad days in a row either. Yesterday was not great, and I woke this morning with some tentativeness about how today would go. And while my intention was that it be a good day, it started out a little rocky. Nevertheless, I was determined to accomplish a few things today, even if they were small ones. So, without great fanfare, here are a few of the things I accomplished today:
- I trimmed the dog’s nails. This is no mean feat. Honor is squirmy and fidgety and doesn’t really like having her nails clipped (and who can blame her, I almost always nip one a little too close and it bleeds like crazy.) I had an easier time trimming the nails of my 88 pound Rhodesian ridgeback-pit bull mixed breed dog than I do with the squirmy 26 pound black lab mix. Her nails are still not trimmed as close they should be, but they’re a sight better than they were.
- I sorted through several disorderly piles of papers on my desk and tidily filed them into neat, multicolored labeled folders. While I still have some work to do to completely sort through and clean off my desk, it’s a whole lot tamer than it was.
- I applied for a job for which I had carried around the position description for about two weeks. I didn’t manage my time well enough to have the creative energy to write the cover letter and put the application together, but I managed it today. I have a few others that I’m considering and will take steps this week toward determining if I have what they’re looking for and likewise if they have enough of what I’m looking for in my next job. I’ll probably apply to at least one of them later in the week after I’ve received my intel about it.
This list might not seem particularly exhaustive; it isn’t really. But sometimes just getting out of bed in the morning is praiseworthy; and getting out of bed and getting some things done that have been on my to-do list for months (Honor’s nails had gotten really long…) is even better.
I am also grateful for happy “accidents.” The other day, my phone mysteriously dialed an old friend of mine with whom I have been in intermittent contact, mostly by email over the past few years. I definitely hadn’t intended to call her and left some lame voicemail about the accidental call, told her I hope all was well with her and hung up. Last week when scrolling through her received calls, she noticed that I had called her. She called me back leaving me a voicemail likewise hoping all was well with me. Today she decided to call back, not being satisfied with the voicemail exchange. We had a lovely conversation on a variety of subjects. She could definitely relate to the challenges I’d gone through over the past year, having experienced her own share of issues in the past few years. Without playing the “pain olympics” we were nonetheless each able to share some of our life difficulties and also offer one another support and encouragement. It was really good to connect with her and we’ll probably stay in a little better touch in the months to come. In spite of the fact that my phone is possessed and does all kinds of random things (some of which have created real havoc in my life), I’m grateful for the accident that reconnected me with my friend.
As I look ahead to this week, I am anticipating good things. The challenges are there, yes, but as each day in the week unfolds I gain new perspectives, deeper levels of patience and kindness with myself, and a deep sense of gratitude for whatever each day brings. I might cry this week, but I will also be smiling and laughing, breathing and meditating, praying, singing, enjoying natural beauty, serving others, and engaging in any number of life-affirming activities. Taken altogether, that all sounds pretty good.
