It’s another beautiful day in the neighborhood, as Mr. Rogers used to sing. Waking up, I lay in bed this morning and simply allowed myself to enjoy the luxury of doing so. As I rested, I gave myself permission not to really think about things, but just to enjoy being. Once up, my friend and I walked, me now with my roll-a-lator instead of a cane. As we were walking, a neighbor, crawling out of his farm truck, called out something about me not going too fast, and we laughed about how I was training for a roll-a-lator race.
We are truly having September’s bright blue weather. The temperatures are moderate, even though the humidity is a bit high. Great outdoors weather. It was glorious being outside with my friend for we had such a good time laughing at ourselves and our aging challenges, though she is younger than I. After she left, I went outside and picked my tomatoes. I am currently harvesting more of these luscious red fruits than I can possibly consume. Time for some neighborly sharing.
It all reminds me of yesterday when my daughter took me to our local Walmart to get a few things. When we were checking out, my daughter commented to the young man at the check-out counter that she hoped he was having a good day. He grinned and told us that every day is his dream day. He went on to say that he loved his job and was always happy because how can he not be when he is living his dream day?
I’ve been thinking about that. Here is this young man, working at Walmart, for probably not more than $15 an hour, experiencing each day as his dream day. Who knows what he wants to accomplish in his life, what goals he has set for himself, but rather than being discouraged because he is currently working at Walmart, he wakes up every morning reminding himself that he is privileged to live this day as his dream day.
We could all take a lesson from him. So often we are prone to grumble and complain when just being alive is a gift. Since I fell, I have been whining to my daughter about being a burden, until she finally politely told me to shut up. She reminded me that being in a position to help and to share time with me was, in a sense, living her dream day, as she is so grateful that I am still alive.
Our dreams don’t have to be lofty. If we are honest, so much of what happens to us is related to the way we approach life, seeing each day as the gift that it is, and choosing to value each experience that we have, challenging or otherwise, rather than focusing on anything that feels bad at the moment. Even when we are stressed and overwhelmed by what is happening in our life, we can, like the young man at Walmart, see it for what it is, our dream day, simply because we are alive and able to do all of the things that we are able to do.