The Life of a Day by Tom Hennen

It's all catching up with me.  The early mornings, the late nights, the constant pounding demand on my body, on my head, on my time.  The breaking point comes more quickly every single time and takes more direct measures to counteract it.

There's so much scrambling, scrabbling, scuttling and shuffling.  Things on my list to scratch off, other action items to add.  Rooms to clean, clothes to fold, tv shows to watch, errands to run, BOOKS TO READ, blog posts to write.  Birthdays to celebrate, deaths to grieve, holidays to plan and correspondences to keep.  Remember to eat healthy, exercise, sleep more, drink water.  It's enough to make my head whirl and twirl and twist right off.  The mashings of the machination are easy to get caught in, forget why you're here and before you know it, you're a bloody beet purple pulp, gasping for breath at the finish line, the end of the line.

Take a second for yourself.  Take a breath.  Smile and wink at your own reflection and acknowledge, yes today is yet another day that is yours for the taking and making.  Tom Hennen's poem below reminds me of all the days that are flying past that we'll never get back.  Is it too late to add another resolution to 2013 for all of us?  I resolve that we shall to enjoy the time we spend watching that Big Bang Theory / Sons of Anarchy / Breaking Bad marathon, soaking in the tub, clipping coupons - whatever our particular pleasure may be.  And we'll do it with consciousness and know that today will be like none other.

Sunset on a Fall Day
The Life of a Day by Tom Hennen

Like people or dogs, each day is unique and has its own personality quirks which can easily be seen if you look closely. But there are so few days as compared to people, not to mention dogs, that it would be surprising if a day were not a hundred times more interesting than most people. But usually they just pass, mostly unnoticed, unless they are wildly nice, like autumn ones full of red maple trees and hazy sunlight, or if they are grimly awful ones in a winter blizzard that kills the lost traveler and bunches of cattle. For some reason we like to see days pass, even though most of us claim we don’t want to reach our last one for a long time. We examine each day before us with barely a glance and say, no, this isn’t one I’ve been looking for, and wait in a bored sort of way for the next, when we are convinced, our lives will start for real. Meanwhile, this day is going by perfectly well-adjusted, as some days are, with the right amounts of sunlight and shade, and a light breeze scented with a perfume made from the mixture of fallen apples, corn stubble, dry oak leaves, and the faint odor of last night’s meandering skunk.

Comments

  1. oh man, that is a lovely piece of writing. i get so overwhelmed sometimes too and it is so hard to sit and enjoy the day and the people in it...thanks for sharing this!

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  2. Isn't life demanding? But we must remember to stop & smell the roses otherwise like you stated, life will take a toll on our bodies & psyche.

    Loved the piece by the way.

    xo

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  3. Ha! That's great. Lovely to think about owning our days rather than them owning us. I like it.

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  4. oh, I hear you. I just got sick for the 3rd time in four weeks. if that isn't telling. take good care of yourself, ok!! xxx

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  5. Love this, Rooth. Will print this poem out.

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  6. "We examine each day before us with barely a glance and say, no, this isn’t one I’ve been looking for"---Ain't that the truth! And so beautifully put. I'm battling that now, keep thinking to myself I just need to get through this day, this week, this month, etc. but the truth is the future holds challenges too, just different ones, meanwhile today is fleeting and I'll never get it back. I keep reminding myself to savor it now. It's so tempting to keep looking ahead, but then what will I miss that's right in front of me?

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  7. i think you captured how the days just fly by with so many to-do's so perfectly with your writing. sometimes it just feels a little overwhelming. i think it's an interesting thing.. when in the chaos of the day, you find your reflection in the mirror and the world just comes to a halt.. even if it's just for a few seconds. i had times like this.. where i saw myself and just breathed and acknowledged that moment. thanks for sharing the poem!

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  8. Oh yes. This - all of this. I am in serious need of a long long sleep.

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  9. that is beautiful. this is what i kind of feel like, overwhelmed with so many things to do and feel not able to finish all of them as if they are pulling away from me.

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  10. I'd really love to go back in time and tell my 10 year old self to let go of wanting to grow up so fast; real life sucks, and it sucks the time and life out of you in the process. Do you know I vacuumed the entire house twice so far this week alone? Who does that? Beautiful poem. I hope you can take a deep breath soon. xo

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  11. Oh my. This was really lovely. I'll be re-reading this throughout fall, I think. Also, yes. I am down with taking time out to do what makes you happy. I am a firm believer in all that stuff. :)

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  12. this couldn't be more perfect to me in the timing and the sentiment - it gave me shivers. i agree with every. word. i really do enjoy everyday, but i also probably spend too much time focusing on what i don't get done at the end of it. beautiful post. xo

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  13. Lovely story at the end of the post, great writing as well c:
    The picture of the sky is stunning! Xx

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  14. Thanks for the reminder. Stopping to take a breath is something I often forget to do. *Sigh*

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  15. Love the life of a day. Makes me want to go out and look at everything today has to offer. Thought-provoking stuff.

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  16. I do battle with each day, so it may pass knowing it will be remembered.

    I might have a little Don Quixote in me--or Sancho.

    I prefer what you wrote over Hennen's words, but his are very good. Sometimes we need to say "WTHeck" to out to-do list and seize the day for ourselves.

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  17. Oh wow, I loved reading that. Thank you, THANK YOU, for this beautiful reminder.
    Ronnie xo

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  18. This is just a great reminder from my fast-paced (and sometimes boring) life. I don't really get to stop and think about how my day was. If I do, I always see the bad stuff. I know it is bad but I can't help it. This writing actually makes me more determined to make life more interesting for my part, I've been doing things that are not as pleasurable as how they used to be. Thanks for sharing this here. :)

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