Two years ago I found myself pinned down to a daily schedule, accountable to people I was tasked to lead and serve. I did my best to deliver, but that endeavor did not prosper economically and came to an end last month. The personal and communal growth it fostered cannot be doubted, and will always be part of my ongoing story, but I got to validate, too, that adhering to a fixed daily schedule is catastrophic for me.
Now that I am free from daily external commitments again, what do I want to comprise my everydays?
Lynn Jericho recently wrote a great outline of a perfect day:
The Perfect Outer Day
Around my work…I have served. I have created. I have produced. I have earned.
Around my relationships…I have connected. I have listened in. I have spoken out. I have laughed/cried.
Around my home…I have not made a mess or added to the mess. I have maintained order and made beauty.
Around my body…I have moved. I have eaten well.
Around my senses…I have enjoyed my perceptions. I have achieved a balance between stimulating and soothing myself particularly in regard to what I have seen, heard, and tasted.
Around my responsibilities…I have tended to my money, my laundry, my agreements.
The Perfect Inner Day
I have been surprised.
I have remained calm.
I have felt joy.
I have forgiven.
I have noticed and been grateful.
I have bounced back.
I have leapt forward.
I have been generous.
I have been kind.
I have evolved.
What joy there is in the subtleties of the every day! The magic really is in the little big things.