Great Days

Chapter 50: Look for the "High Point" of the Day

"No matter how hard the winter, spring always comes." – Unknown

"'Tis always morning somewhere in the world." – Richard Henry Hengist Horne

"Every cloud has a silver lining." –Unknown

"There are no bad days. Some are just better than others." – Bob Murphey

There's bad news, and there's good news. The bad news is that, in spite of our best efforts, not every day will be a great one. But you already know that, don't you? You already know that in spite of an optimistic attitude, positive partners, music, smiles, prayer, friends, faith, and even chocolate, you're going to have some bad days along the way. That's the reality of life.

The good news is that even bad days have moments that are better than others. And we have to find comfort in that.

A woman told me a story about her aunt that I think contains a lesson for all of us. Her aunt was in her nineties when she died, and when the family was sorting through her things, they found a journal that she had kept the last few years of her life. In those last years she lived alone, and her poor health caused her to have a somewhat confined and lonely existence. And yet at the end of each day's entry in her journal, she had written "high point of the day."

For her, the "high point" was sometimes a call from a friend or a visit from a neighbor. There were days when someone from the church had dropped in with homemade soup or muffins and others when the "high point" was that her arthritis was less painful than it was the day before. Sometimes it was a card from a friend, a letter or phone call from a distant relative, or the sight of a cardinal in her backyard.

The message here is that every day, even in her limited world, she found a "high point."

Let me encourage you to look for the "high point" of the day. Instead of focusing on the negatives, look for the positives – the things you're grateful for, the many blessings that you've received, the little things that add joy to life. Not every day is going to be a great one, but even the bad days have some small moment that is an expression of joy or hope or love if we only look for it.

Look for the "high point" of each day, and think about how your presence, your attitude, your smile, your laughter, your kindness can become a "high point" for someone else.

As Annie Dillard said, "How we spend our days is how we spend our lives." Let's choose to make each day an investment and to spend our days in ways that add energy, enthusiasm, and enjoyment to our lives and the lives of others.

Have a great day.

Excerpt from Great Days: 50 Ways to Add Energy, Enthusiasm, & Enjoyment to your Life. Copyright, 1997.

Other Sample Chapters

Chapter 9: Laugh at Yourself
Chapter 13: Get Better at Something
Chapter 19: Risk

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