When I was in seventh grade I remember attending a dance one time, one of those typical junior high affairs where the girls sat on one side of the room and the boys on the other while the adult chaperones stood in the middle of the room coaxing us to dance. Remember those? This one was no different – same punch, same cookies and pimento cheese sandwiches, same music from a stack of 45 rpm’s playing on someone’s portable hi-fi, same bashful bunch of boys on one side of the room and equally bashful girls on the opposite side. Why this particular occasion was more memorable than the many others I attended remains a mystery. All I know is that I went to bed that night conscious of the fact that I had just experienced a perfect day, and made myself a promise to never forget that moment – a rare and unusually mature thought for me at that age. Now here it is fifty years later and I still remember, but why? What made it a perfect day?
Our dog Cowgirl knows a perfect day when she has one. It begins by going out with us for a morning run, but what really makes for a perfect day is if we happen to stir up some sort of wild critter along the way. Rabbits are her favorite. Chasing a rabbit, for her that’s a perfect day!
What’s a perfect day for you? My bet is it’s not a junior high dance, and probably not chasing rabbits either. I’m guessing, though, it probably does have something to do with hanging out with close friends and family, or participating in one of your favorite activities or sports. But I’m also guessing it’s more than that.
A friend of ours once told about being approached by a co-worker on a particularly tense day in the office. “Is it a good day or a great day?” the co-worker asked our friend, who quickly responded, “Need more choices!” Then . . . . after a little more thought she got it. The co-worker was simply playing a mind game, and a clever one at that. Bad day was not an option, only good or great.
That junior high dance was a perfect day for one good reason, I had chosen for whatever reason to eliminate all the other options. You can have a perfect day, too – today! – just by eliminating all the other choices. So go and have a perfect day!