Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Days

I have adopted the JC Penney slogan, "Every Day Matters" as one of my mantras. Every day does matter. Even the days when we are grieving, or consumed with pain, worry and frustration. There are times when I haven't thought my days have mattered. When I've been on my own, single and these past few years when we've had to cope with financial instability.

But I've come to believe that this is a very wrong attitude. It isn't right to put my life on hold because everything isn't all rosy right now.

Times are hard for me. But at the end of my life, I hope this blip on the radar screen of life will have passed. And I don't want to look back and see this past stretch of years as ones that I wasted by not treating myself with kindness, compassion, years devoid of small pleasures and happiness.

Each day I wake up and look at and then repeat the words, "Every day matters." Each day is a new beginning. One that we can start over if we've wrecked our diets or need to make some amends. I can greet each day as a gift and a chance to grow myself and nourish others. And to love.

When we're dealing with grief and loss it can be very easy to say life doesn't matter and to put our lives on hold thinking we'll start living again when things improve. I won't do that anymore. I'm doing my best to make each day, every day the best it can be. To make them count. To make them matter because they do matter. And maybe they matter the most when times are hardest.

7 comments:

  1. Insipring. I'll keep that motto in mind, too.

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  2. I see you've had some rough times, too. I wrote about mine in a memoir In the Mirror that's being released this month. We have two husband in common, and trials that are different but in many ways are the same emotionally.

    I read your "It all comes down to love." One of my disabled daughter's favorite sayings is: You never see a hearse pulling a U-haul. It's true, all we take with us is the love we have for others, what we've done for others, what we've learned.

    I'm happy to meet you through the A to Z. I'm starting at the end of the linky list today. Glad I did.
    Ann Carbine Best’s Long Journey Home

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  3. thank you for this my friend ... you know what, I needed to be reminded x

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  4. Thank you Thelma.

    Ann, I am interested in your story and look forward to learning something positive from your experiences. Thank you for stopping by.

    Boo, good to hear from you as always and glad I served as a helpful reminder to someone out there.

    Thank you too Nancy for checking in.

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  5. Yes, indeed. Every day does matter.

    My uncle has another saying. He is now 80 and when he is asked how he is doing - he says Great - even if he feels crappy, because he woke up that day and was able to get out of bed and enjoy the day!

    What a wonderful attitude.

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  6. R K - Thank you sharing your uncle's wisdom. I need to have more of that attitude too! At least more of the time, that alone would make a difference.

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