Sitting down to blog, I stared at my computer screen without any idea about what to write. That happens fairly often, it seems. Blank screen. Blank mind, so I reached for some daily inspirational readings. Nothing. Oh well, I thought. No one is saying I have to blog every day. That is an expectation I put on myself. The world will not come to an end if I neglect to write something. After all, what do my ramblings have to do with anything? The world will keep going with or without me.
And then I read a line that connected. “Never forget that each day is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” OK, that’s a clever play on words, but there’s also a lot of truth in it. Each day is a gift, no matter how difficult or challenging. It’s easy for me to usually be positive, sitting here in my blogging chair staring out of the window at the sunshine. I don’t have anywhere I need to go or anything I absolutely need to do. That’s one of the blessings of growing old. Others have few expectations of me, though sometimes I wish they did. Maybe I could muster up more get-up-and-go if I actually had somewhere I needed to be, something I absolutely needed to do. That’s one of the ways I miss my husband. He gave each day meaning. We all need to feel needed, to feel as if we still have a contribution to make.
So, yes, each day is a gift, an unearned present, something precious that we too often take for granted. At 88, I do not know how many days I have yet to live, so it behooves me to live each day as the precious gift that it is. And the same goes for all of us, young or old. We can plan for tomorrow, but tomorrow is not guaranteed. So grasp this day, this precious, unique day, and luxuriate in it. Savor it, treasure it, and be grateful for it. As the Psalmist said, “This is the day the Lord hath made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it.”