Day 2: I Gotta Know What Day It Is
- Jim
- Jan 2, 2019
- 2 min read
It is so easy to let life slip into a ho-hum routine. I know because I have done it and I don’t want to just sit on the couch watching reruns of Gunsmoke! It has become abundantly clear to me that I am not going to be able to do all of the things I love doing forever. (Maybe not even for much longer.) At 67 years old, backpacking, bicycle touring, golfing, shooting baskets and hitting golf balls is pretty much a day to day proposition. I guess tomorrow is never a guarantee for anyone but when you get older that Truth begins to make that statement every day. I was reminded of a quote from a Herb Gardner play entitled A THOUSAND CLOWNS -
"Murray Burns: Five months ago I was on the subway on my way to work, was sitting on the express same as every morning looking out the window watching the local stops go by in the dark with an empty head and my arms folded, not feeling great, not feeling rotten, just not feeling. And for a minute I couldn't remember, I didn't know, unless I really concentrated, whether it was a Tuesday or a Thursday or a... for a minute it could have been any day, Arn.
[Stands up]
Murray Burns: I gotta know what day it is. I gotta know what's the name of the game and what the rules are without anyone else telling me. You gotta own your own days and name 'em, each one of 'em, every one of 'em, or else the years go right by and none of them belong to you. And that ain't just for weekends, kiddo."
I have found that it is very easy to let life become a dull habit rather than the incredible opportunity it is. By focusing on ideas that encourage me to live more passionately and committing to physical activities that I enjoy, I am hoping to “own my own days and name ‘em, each and every one” so the years don’t go by and I find myself regretting missed opportunities.
It is amazing how the things we set our minds on guide us through our days. Yesterday, I started the day focused on new beginnings and that afternoon played golf at Diamond Valley Golf Course in Hemet. It was a beautiful day and a wonderful round of golf. As always, I hit my share of stinkers, but the thought of new beginnings kept me more focused on the moment and less inclined to let frustration spiral my golf game out of control.
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