Perfect Days

A day by yourself. A day with your kids. A day with your favorite person. (Maybe that is your kid.) A day in the country. A day in the city. A day at the beach. A day spent reading. A day spent listening to music. A day spent making music. A day of drawing. A day of writing.

Going to a party. Going to your favorite restaurant. Making your favorite meal. Sleeping late. Getting up early. Going for a walk. Going shopping. Talking on the phone for hours. Not talking to anyone all day. Trying something new. Doing something you have done a hundred times before. Planning. Being spontaneous.

Doing what makes you happy.

I think I can safely say that we all need more happiness in our lives. The constant round of doing and needing wears us out and there is no time to find those pockets of perfection that make life worth living.

I am not talking about the big things. Trips to Europe, diamond rings, and big houses are not necessarily the things a perfect day is made of though a trip to Europe can encompass a perfect day. A perfect day is one where you go to bed at night full of happiness. Maybe nothing special happened during the day but the day was filled with everything and everyone that makes you happy. Or maybe it was a normal day with one golden moment of happiness shining through the clutter of everyday life.

The photo at the top of this post is from one of my perfect days. It is from a couple of years ago. We knew we would be moving away from Connecticut shortly and we wanted to go to the shore one more time. My kids and I took the day and did just that. The weather was chilly but sunny. We played music in the car, walked the beach, collected sea glass, sat on the shore, stopped for clam chowder, and enjoyed being together in a place we love. It was wonderful. It was a perfect day.

Perfect days can’t always be planned. Life goes wrong and stress bombards us at all turns. Sometimes the day we think will be perfect is simply nice. Putting too much pressure on anything is never a good idea. However, to use a cliche, we need to stop and smell the roses more often. Take the time to allow your perfect day to emerge from life’s chaos. At least allow room for a pocket of perfection.

Pockets of perfection and perfect days. That is what I want out of life and I hope you have them too.