Some days are hard. You know those days when bad things seem to all come at you, hitting you like a psunami. Well, today is not one of those days. Phew. It's actually a great day. I finished two paintings, wrote some poetry, ate well, soaked up the sun, listened to classical music, exercised and rested. It was sublime. I wish every day could be like today. Why can't it? I mean, if I set about planning my days, there's no reason why they can't be just as glorious as today.
So, how do I plan to make each day the best they can be?
My thoughts:
Making the right start to my day. I think starting with a good healthy breakfast and a nice cup of coffee made for a great start. I've recently discovered a new coffee brand called All City. I'm totally loving it. It comes in a packet with a brightly coloured hippy rainbow design. I usually wouldn't have picked such a flamboyant thing, but with the dismal selection in the store I decided to be brave and try it out. I was pleasantly surprised. It's a gentle smooth blend of instant coffee. Not your fancy ground beans, but I like it.
Being in my studio is key. Today I went straight to my studio after breakfast and finished off a painting. This set me on my creative path early in the day. I was invigorated. I wrote a poem about the painting, which was a great way to flow into writing other poetry and then worked on another painting, which I also finished.
Taking breaks saves the day. I didn't just do these things one after the other. Some intermittent breaks, with stops for a tea, a healthy snack, lunch and dinner made the day flow nicely. I think the key here was eating healthy light meals. I maintained the perfect energy levels.
Exercise is a must. A light exercise in the late afternoon was well worth doing. I was toing and froing about doing any exercise. For a moment, only a few minutes beforehand I wasn't going to exercise. I'm so glad I decided to do something. It wasn't a grueling workout. It didn't need to be. Not every workout has to hurt. Some days a gentle jog is just enough. I dragged my son out with me. Company is a nice way to get fit.
Time to pause and think. After a refreshing wash I'm taking a break, which is giving me time to write up this piece. I didn't even intent on writing it. I really just wanted to edit a picture. But as I lay down on the lounge thoughts came flowing gently forward. I thought about how nice the day has been. What made it so nice? Then I thought about the value of capturing this day. I want to learn from it and recreate it again and again. It wasn't even a particully special day, it was just a really nice day.
Writing down my thoughts at the end of the day is a great way to not just capture the day, but also reflect on it, acknowledge it and give thanks for it in my own way. I've never been one to keep a journal. It never seemed natural. Besides, what would I write about? My life wasn't that exciting. Also my thoughts were so private. Putting them in writing was a risk I was not keen on taking. Now that I'm older my thoughts are still private, but I have many more that I'd like to share. And really at the end of the day, there just thoughts. Nothing controversial or scary in here.
So, with all that noted, I think I have a plan to work with each day. My very simple 6 point plan. You could say they're a set of principles for how I can live a better way.
How do you approach each day?