“Today is unique! It has never occurred before, and it will never be repeated. At midnight it will end, quietly, suddenly, totally. Forever. But the hours between now and then are opportunities with eternal possibilities.” – Charles R Swindoll
Yesterday was one of those days – it was wonderful!
Our day began early (as it usually does) with Vicky getting up in the dark hours to catch the train to the start line of the Puffing Billy Great Train Running Race. The kids and I were up too – getting ready for an early kick-off for Elijah’s first footy game. He had a cracker (i.e. loved it!). We hurried off from the game and headed to the Dandenong ranges to walk the 1000 Steps – LyreBird track loop. We got to Belgrave in perfect timing to pick up Vicky from her run and had a lovely breakfast there. As we arrived home, Elijah and I jumped on our bikes for an afternoon ride along Melbourne’s bike paths, whilst the girls spent some quality time shopping. On our ride home, I pointed out the bright low lying moon to Elijah which was lighting our way for us. Vicky was preparing dinner when we arrived back at around 6.30pm. Bath time for the kids, dinner, preparation for the next day and week ahead, cup of herbal tea, and off to bed. Perfect day!
So what goes into planning for a day like this…
- Preparation… this starts off the day before. You may have some scheduled events, family/friend gatherings or work commitments. So you’ll need to start off by filling your day calendar with the “must do” list. In between these, you can either fill the gaps with spontaneous fun (i.e. do what you feel like at the time – e.g. park time with the kids, read a book, walk to a local cafe) or plan something (have a look online to check what’s happening in your local area and surrounds). Get to bed earlier so that you can wake up early with fresh-filled energy for the BIG day ahead.
- Share your day with people who… you want to be around, make you feel good about yourself, you care for, you love, are filled with passion for life, make you want to be a better person, have a positive outlook and attitude.
- Smell the roses… watch the sunrise and sunset, look at the trees swaying in the wind, listen to the sounds of nature, try “earthing” (walk barefoot on the beach or local park), and literally stop to smell the sweet natural perfume of roses.
- Keep moving… we are built for perpetual motion (except for the 7-8 hours of sleep that we get at night). When you stop moving, your body thinks that you’re getting ready to “shut down” and “reboot” (i.e. sleep). That’s one of the many reasons that a standing work station is preferable to sitting. If you find yourself with that unscheduled time, use it to create movement energy!
- Roll with the punches… not everything may go according to your plan. If not, there’s no use “crying over spilt milk.” Recognise the situation as a different experience, and either learn from it or make the most of it. Then move on.
- Write down your day experience… we’ve been keeping an “appreciation” jar for the past few years as a way to have a written record of all the great times that we experience individually and as a family. At the end of the year, we empty the jar and read our messages whilst reminiscing on all the excellent times we’ve had.
- Repeat… by continuously practicing to live each day to its fullest, you’ll develop the habit that most successful people adopt – treating time as the most expensive and rare commodity.
Get out there, grab life by the horns, and enjoy the ride.