“...Today well lived makes yesterday a dream of happiness
and tomorrow a vision of hope...”
It’s from a poem by
Kalidasa called Look to This Day and it’s beautiful, inspiring, but it also
throws up an issue for me. What is meant by “well lived”? I’d like to know
because I’m very aware that once a day has gone it has gone. Each day is precious and I hate to think that I’m wasting them so...
Does it mean to work so hard we collapse into bed at the end
of the day or does it mean to doss and generally over-indulge ourselves, rather like our cats always do?
 |
| Mabel is on the left and Charlie on the right. |
If somebody can give me a blueprint for living my day “well”
then I promise I’ll give it a try. In the meantime I’ll have to carry on doing
a bit of everything and never quite being sure if I’m truly getting the best
out of my days.
What is your idea of a day “well lived”?
I think it is a day where we find joy in the small and ordinary - like getting a front seat upstairs on the bus (yesterday, in London), like finding a 'bargain' cake to share with one's husband. Like seeing my daughter's eyes light up when her lovely fiancee walked into the restaurant. And within this joy, we find strength and within the strength, resilience and ability to do or not do what life hands us. Maybe?
ReplyDeleteThank you, Carol. That's a lovely take on my question but I can't help noticing that we're still talking about cake. Maybe cake is the secret to a satisfying life!
DeleteIn spite of all my adventures, I agree with Carol - it's often the little things that add up to a day "well lived." When I was working (in Child Protection) it was making a child laugh -especially if it had taken months before she could even speak to me. Now - the joy of curling up with a wonderful book. Playing snap with grandchildren. Spending half an hour gardening with the woman next door and deciding we had earned cake.
ReplyDeleteOf course there are the big excitements - airports, arriving somewhere new (not cyclones) - but they would have no meaning without the roots that draw me home.
That must have been such a rewarding job but I suppose it had its fraught side too. I love your thoughts on the small things in life and can appreciate the excitement of holidays away and returning home... just not where there are tigers, cyclones or rhinos!!
DeleteThere is a Jewish concept called 48 Ways. The first of them is all about maximising your time in life and quotes "To achieve significant results in life, the effort must be constant. Don't waste a minute." You can read about it here: http://www.aish.com/sp/48w/48971986.html. I really try to live by those rules and at the moment, am succeeding, but in part because I have so much that I am doing right now, I don't have time to think!
ReplyDeleteHi son, thanks for the link. I will pop over to read it. I can well believe that your days are filled to capacity with those lovely kids of yours.
DeleteA day well lived for me is a combination of being with those I love, finding something to laugh about,learning something new , and having time to relax. Yet getting something positive done. Now that doesn't happen every day...... But a balanced day is a wonderful thing.... Especially when I can appreciate the simple things too.
DeleteHaving said that, I was woken up at 6.15 am by a work related call from someone thinking my mobile no was the newsroom! My son had put in Facebook that he's doing a skydive tomorrow and I'm terrified .....but on the other hand am meeting some of my favourite writing peoplefor lunch!
ReplyDeleteGood to see that you're meeting some of your favourite people for lunch, Bridget. By a strange coincidence so am I. See you soon :-)
DeleteMy day well-lived is finding a balance between family and work, and doing something productive in both areas. But it can mean many different things to each individual.
ReplyDeleteThat's true, Duncan. We're all so different but I think enjoying friends and family seem to be rating high on people's lists.
DeleteA day well lived, is being able to smile, and feel happy about all the little things, and spend time with friends and loved ones.
ReplyDeleteHave a lovely weekend.
Sounds like my ideal day too, Maria.
DeleteI agree that doing our best to find a nice balance of laughter, joy and kindness is a day well- lived. Thanks for reminding me. Julie
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome, Julie ;-)
DeleteI reckon that having a moan and laugh and sharing of food and news with friends must be one top way to a well spent day. Thanks for your part in making today one of those days, Ros!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree with you more, Pippa. It was lovely to share a lunch with you today. :-))
DeleteI'm thinking the cats have the right idea. Whenever I get home from work and see my cat and my dog stretched out as comfy as can be I wish I had their life! But really I think spending time with the people we love and who make us happy is probably the best way to spend a day.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend, Rosalind!
I agree Julie but those cats always look soooo contented!
ReplyDeleteSometimes just getting through the day, without any mini or major catastrophes, feels like a blessing. Well-lived? Maybe not by someone else's standards, but by my own.
ReplyDeleteTake care, Rosalind.
xoRobyn
Hope your days are a bit easier now, Robyn. We can only live by our own standards!
DeleteI think too often we live with all the "shoulds" instead of doing the woulds and coulds. Well-lived - live by the golden rule, the ten commandments, and take time to enjoy each moment. Too many lists, too many comparisons to others will bog one down. I do think that as writers we tend to take our time and actually do live well with all the senses.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your weekend
Some good advice there. Joanne, and I agree that writers do think more carefully about things.
DeleteThat's a hard one, Rosalind. I think for me a day well lived can be summed up by whether I feel satisfied with what I have done or accomplished during the day. I hate wasting time. As a result, I rarely relax, but don't always feel satisfied! It's great when I can go to bed feeling good about what I've done during the day, whether it's something mundane like cleaning the fridge (which far too often gets forgotten for far too long..haha) or whether I've written two thousand words of my book.
ReplyDeleteOops, pressed the publish button too soon! Meant to finish with a 'Yay!!' to the two thousand words sentence, because that's what really really makes me feel good :))
ReplyDelete2000 words. I'll say yay to that too! I'm impressed :-)
DeleteHi Ros .. just at the moment a day well lived ... is having the freedom to go and do things, next will come catching up with friends and relations around England ... and then I may just let my wings fly in all kinds of fun directions ...
ReplyDeleteHad a great day yesterday in London - despite the rain ... very eclectic juxtapositions of interesting times ...
Cheers Hilary
That sounds like an excellent plan, Hilary. Let your wings fly you to some lovely places. You deserve the rest!
ReplyDeleteHaving a real good belly laugh and no negative thoughts is my ideal day.
ReplyDelete