Thursday, January 27, 2011

A GOOD DAY

Today was a good day.

I learned something. I needed a word in Spanish meaning way more than funny. My trusty old Latin American Spanish/English dictionary's definitions for uproarious, hilarious, a scream and half a dozen other terms fell short of the task. I Googled it. Finally, my ten-minute search paid off; I found just the adjective I needed: arrasador. (Its primary meaning is destructive or devastating.)

          For those four glorious minutes, 
          my spirit took wing.

I gave something. Today's the day I visit one of my two hospice patients. This one, to my great delight, has actually "graduated" from the program's six-month life-expectancy window, deciding, at age 91, that he was no longer a dying man. Now he's an active, curious, creative person with a mischievous sense of humor who not only creates digital art, but teaches art to his fellow care center residents. He inspires me.

I experienced wonder. In fact it happened twice before I'd finished breakfast. I was looking out my Minneapolis window at Nature all decked out in fresh white. I thought of how exotic the colors of a Caribbean reef or the deepest Amazon forest are to me, and imagined someone who'd never before seen snow finding this sight every bit as breathtaking. It struck me that, even for one who's seen snow all my life, this was indeed that kind of glorious moment. I just hadn't realized it before.


Just then, on the radio, they played Gershwin's Fanfare for the Common Man. I'd just started my cereal. I stopped chewing, put down my spoon and just listened. I let those sounds, the soaring and the sublime, transport me. For those four glorious minutes, my spirit took wing.

Yes, it was a good day. But such days are not uncommon for me; I seek them out...or should I say they seek me out?

What makes a good day for you?

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Talk about being aware of good things around you, and taking advantage
of them...because of your contacting me on Facebook, I once again was
reminded of your blog and decided to take a few minutes to actually
check it out...this could be habit forming! Your reflections of working
with the people at Hub Center dovetails nicely with the fact that Rick
and I just heard we were selected to go to Israel for 2 weeks in May to
work with adults in "Conversational English." I love the reminder to
just look around and "be present" in the joy of everyday life.

Jeffrey Willius said...

Hi Nancy -- Thanks for your encouraging comments! It means so much to me to hear from folks who enjoy what I'm putting out there. Your trip to Israel will be an amazing experience -- sounds like you'll be open to all the wonders it will surely bestow on you! p.s. I'd love to have you as a Follower!

Charlie Brown said...

There are so many things that make a GOOD day for me and sometimes when those moments are a surprise they have a great impact. The spiritual aspects of nature are always there for my discovery. Being mindful of the moment give me immediate feedback as well. As an artist I constantly looking for new ways to view and experience the beauty around me. But the opportunity to be compassionate in my volunteer work always gives back more than I feel I invest. Everyday is a new opportunity for experience. So in a sense I always know that each day I will discover something that will make my day.

Jeffrey Willius said...

How nice of you to comment, Charlie! Sounds like you've settled on a pretty good mix of activities to lend purpose to your days. I have a similar mix, which has rendered retirement quite a joy -- if not irrelevant.

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