Today’s been a yucky day. It’s the only way I can describe it. You know those days when you realize something you were looking forward to didn’t work out, and you felt sad and lost? Or those days when you’re transitioning from one season to the next (school’s out and summer is here) and you’re out of your routine and struggling to adjust? Have you ever had one of those days where you’re confronted with difficult conversations and lots of emotions and you feel like you’re not getting anything right?
Yep, today was all those days mixed into one.
On yucky days like today, you just want the time to pass. No one wants to sit in the yuckiness and discomfort.
This got me thinking about how often we try to “kill time” because we’re waiting for something exciting or avoiding something uncomfortable.
But here’s the thing: time passes whether you’re willing it to or not, and there will come a day when we will wonder where the years went — and we’ll have forgotten all those yucky moments we so desperately wished to fast forward.
So what do you do when you’re stuck on those yucky days?
- Think about what you’ll miss about today one day. Will it be how young you were or the home you lived in or that you had all your kids in one place? Be grateful for those things as all things are temporary.
- Intentionally do one thing that makes you smile: get a good hug, laugh with friend, or take a pleasant walk at sunset.
- Do as Seneca suggests and “find one thing that makes you smarter, wiser, better. One nugget. One quote. One little prescription. One little piece of advice.”
These suggestions may only give you momentary relief — but moments are all we remember, anyway. So do the best you can to create some good moments even on the worst of days.
That way, you become intentional about living your life rather than wishing it to pass you by.
This is what I’m doing today. What about you?
