Enjoy Today

For those who celebrated, I hope your Mother’s Day was a day of relaxation and a renewing of your mind, body and spirit. We went to New York City to celebrate with our daughter, Tiffany, and our grandson, Ola. I was excited because we’d planned to go to Central Park, which I haven’t been to in a long time, to see the cherry blossoms. But Mother Nature had other plans: rain.

Do you ever have those days when your best-laid plans just don’t work out? (For some of us, this whole past year has felt that way.) We sometimes place a lot of expectations on “our plans” especially around holidays and celebrations, and when things don’t go accordingly, we react. Our reactions—positive or negative—can completely color our attitudes towards ourselves, our experiences, and those around us. I was really excited about how we’d planned to celebrate Mother’s Day, and once I realized it wasn’t going to work out, I had to decide how I’d handle the day instead. I could’ve gotten quiet and sulked all day or complained. However, such a response would’ve affected not only me but my entire family.

I decided to go with the flow and enjoy the day no matter what. Before the rain started, we took a walk along the Hudson River near my daughter’s apartment. Families and individuals were out walking, jogging, rollerblading, roller skating, biking, lounging, and picnicking in the grass. It was so nice to be outside and not have to wear a mask. It brought joy to my heart to see so many people reveling in the day. Even the pigeons were happy—they were having a feast with every crumb that was dropped! New York is coming alive again and is so beautiful in the spring. The parks, the lush greenery, and the flowers were so colorful. The city has always energized me and inspired my creative juices. It ended up being a lovely day. 

Each day, we are given a clean slate, a fresh start, and the opportunity to to be kind, loving, forgiving, helpful, and productive. We are given the choice to decide how we will go through our day. I know some days are sad or difficult; we may receive bad news, or not be feeling well. That’s all a part of life. I have a quote hanging up in my studio that says, “Today is a good day for a good day.” I try to remind myself of this no matter what the day might bring. Even if I’m having a bad day, there is usually something good I’m able to discover about it. 

One of my favorite Bible verses is Psalm 118:24: “This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” This day will never come again. He doesn’t say yesterday or tomorrow, but TODAY. Today is the only day each one of us has, so we must make it count no matter how big or small. Smile and bring cheer to someone; learn something new; help someone with a project; send a note to encourage or inspire someone; celebrate the day and look for the good in it. 

How do you handle days that don’t go as planned or according to your agenda? What choices will you make?