A Good Day

How do you define a "good day"? Depends on the day, I guess, and on the "you" involved.
 
Midday today, my son told me it had been a very good day. We'd played video games at the Sony Wonder Lab and had a strawberry smoothie while we were waiting to go in.  We'd had a rare fast food lunch.  He'd been able to deposit money in his newly created bank account, and even got free stuff from the bank teller.  From his point of view, a great day. Even if we'd had to do more walking than he'd like and had needed to get up and out early on a day off.  Even if we had to drop off and pick up his sister and even if I said "no" to several requests for toys.  Even if he came home and fell asleep at 5:30, likely coming down with the virus his sister had last week.  For him, at least in that moment, it was a very good day.

As for me, in that same moment, I called it a good day too. Never mind that I got up and out early to make the day work. Never mind that I came home exhausted.  Never mind that tomorrow I will be playing catch-up on all the life errands that I ignored today.  In that moment, it was a good day.

I've heard "good days" talked about in so many ways.  A production company that shoots everything it's supposed to calls it "a good day." A person who's sick but feels better than normal has had a "good day."

As far as I can tell, the sheer urgency with which my son called it "a good day" when the day was just halfway done is probably the way to go--to find the good before giving way to the bad, the ugly, and the exhausted.  Let's face it, particularly as adults, we don't often have days that we consider good from beginning to end.  But if we can focus on the good--highlight it as it is happening--I would venture to say we'd be defining many more of our days as good.

By the end of today, there was enough tiredness to make me think that it was just fine that the kids would go back to school tomorrow.  The exuberance about a good day can't always last forever.  But if tomorrow turns out to be just an ordinary day, I will be particularly glad to have the memory of my son exclaiming that it was a very good day.  We should all do that a lot more often.