The Sacredness of Ordinary Days

Almost every morning, I wake up next to my wife, my best friend of more than twenty years. A few days ago, I took a shower with her then drove her to the airport for a flight to a conference three thousand miles away.

What if I didn’t wake up today? What if her plane hadn’t arrived safely at its destination?

Statistically, my chances of dying in my sleep are greater than hers dying in a plane crash yet either one of those could have happened.

When Kobe Bryant and eight others, including his daughter Gianna, died, the world paused. The same thing happens anytime someone really famous dies. But they represent a miniscule fraction of the entire population. If I died today, would the world keep on spinning? Of course it would. Outside of my family and close friends, my passing would be a forgotten foot note for those few who happened to hear about it.

Macabre thoughts, I know.

There are those who live paralyzed by thanatophobia — the intense, persistent fear of death and dying. (Enough that psychology has a name for it.) For the rest of the population, we don’t spend significant time contemplating our own death. We don’t want to spend time thinking about death or dying .For most, they’re topics far too depressing and heavy.

There is, perhaps, an even heavier question that all of us should, however, consider:

While I’m busy ignoring that someday I will die, have I forgotten to live?

Most days, I wake up, I prepare myself for work, I go to work, come home, spend a little time with my people, read, go to bed, and wake up the next morning to do it all again.

Whether you work at home or away, most days are filled with mundane routines: laundry, cleaning, housework, yardwork, school work, homework, commuting, working hard for someone else. The list goes on.

Is it possible to have amazing experiences every day?

The answer to that question is in how we define those “amazing experiences”.

I have been married to my best friend for more than twenty years. (I’m amazed by that which is why I keep bringing it up.) We have a good relationship. We actually love each other with the kind of love that reaches deep down into our souls. By itself, that’s amazing. How many relationships aren’t like that? How many end in tragedy of one form or another? How many continue in abusive relationship because they can’t see a way out?

My wife has safely given birth to five wonderful children. We lost a child very early in pregnancy, but my wife survived. Our children have, for the most part, enjoyed good health their entire lives. Amazing things! How many families don’t have that?

I’d be lying if I said I love my day job, but it does give me the opportunity to provide for my family’s needs. We never have to wonder where our next meal is coming from. We also have adequate shelter. Again, amazing somethings. How many people don’t have these things?

Despite the heavy questions in each of those preceding paragraphs, the aim of life is not to brow-beat ourselves because we enjoy some things that perhaps others don’t. Even all the riches Steve Jobs possessed couldn’t save him from terminal cancer.

The aim of life is to live. It is to recognize that each day — no matter how many mundane tasks we may have to complete — can have something worth remembering and celebrating. That, in part, does boil down to just being grateful for what we have.

• I woke up today with enough strength and energy to finish manually digging a trench in my front yard. How grateful I am to have a yard, strength, and energy.

• My wife did arrive safely at her conference and is having a wonderful time. I always miss her when she’s gone but we have this amazing technology that allows us to communicate face-to-face over thousands of miles.

• My children are home with me. We live in a safe place. Tomorrow, our water will be re-connected and we will be able to drink water straight from a tap. I am grateful for running water.

I like this definition of the word sacred: entitled to reverence and respect.

In principle, every day can have an element that is worthy of reverence and respect. In practice, that can often be very difficult, particularly when you’re in the midst of a difficult trial of life. But, it is always possible.

Today, I invite you to pause for just a moment and consider the sacredness of this day. You may be surprised what you discover.