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Eagle Mountain, Utah, United States
My name is Lauren, and I live in the bubble. I am wife to Marshall, the biggest BYU fan in the world; and mother to Carly, our big girl, and Wes, our wild man, and Calvin, our new addition. I graduated BYU with a degree in Social Work, and I went forth to serve at LDS Family Services. I like scrapbooking and going out to eat at nice restaurants. I am fascinated by new cleaning products at the grocery store, so I have to shop in wide circles around the perimeter to avoid the temptation to buy. I love chocolate.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

The best day of your life

What makes a day a great day?

This is something I have been pondering in depth this week. I had the privilege of hearing a letter read on air during the Dr. Laura show on Thursday. It was from a woman who had just been diagnosed with a degenerative disease that would eventually result in a horrible death. But she was grateful, because she felt as though she had been given a gift. She had knowledge that most people would not have: knowledge that this day-today- was literally the best day of the rest of her life. She would never feel better, she would never be more capable of living. She knew that each subsequent day she would only get more limited in her mobility, health, and comfort. She wanted to live each day thoroughly and wring out all the love, happiness, and goodness from it.

I was left profoundly impacted by her words. I have had great days... but have I been creating them? How does one create the best day of one's life? Many of my best days have been the product of circumstance- the events of the day have all transpired to make it great and memorable. But how can you create greatness? How can you "wring all the love, happiness, and goodness" out of a day?

If you read to the end of this hoping to see my epiphany, I apoloigize. Honestly, I'm not sure what the answer is yet. I would like to think it has a little to do with keeping a positive attitude, a lot to do with serving others, and everything to do with being Christlike.

I would love to hear what you think. Any insight would be appreciated. I really want to try to wring greatness from every day.

7 comments:

Momma Nic said...

The word wring, does sound like work, Right?
An old John Denver song says.

There are days to rise and days to fall and days for making haste.
Days for seeking out yourself but no days you can waste.

I've always loved this, I would run it thru my mind to "rate" my day and make it count.

jenibug said...

I love this, because I've been feeling very introspective today. I've had extreme highs and lows just today and I'm starting to learn to appreciate all of it. Having a plan is good, but I've noticed that sometimes when I try to "create" my days too much I miss the little things.
I really love your blog, it's one of my favorites, especially after watching you grow up and to see you as the great person you've become!

Maranda said...

yeah, I totally agree with you! And I think it also has to do with being happy where you at. Look for the joy in the situation you are in, instead of always thinking, I'll be happy when.... (that's what I do too much!) Thanks for this! I always feel so uplifted when I read your blog! Thank you so much for that!! We need to get together!

KarenOjai said...

You make me proud girl. You also make me cry. Where did I go right?

Lauren said...

Wow, thanks for all the kind comments! I love you all too!

Jessica said...

I found your blog!!! I think there are great days that just happen but most days need an intent to become great. What I mean is I we just wander through life hoping it will bring good experiences then we will always wonder why other people seem happier. I beleive that happiness is a decision or an action. WE decide if we want to be happy.
I was talking to Ben last night about how sometimes motherhood is tiring; the diapers, dishes, laundry, feeling exhasted but not acumplishing much. You know how it is. He suggested that being more productive making plans and keeping regardless of Jack being a pill. Again its an action.
Well theres some thoughts.
I think you are great!!

Unknown said...

You know, something my mom taught me that works, for making your own "great days," anyway, is to think of it this way: no matter what happens to you, no matter what circumstances come together that are out of your control, you can really learn something about yourself and who you are, what you're capable of. And it can be the most wonderful feeling in the world. So, when all the other things in the day seem like the "worst day ever" I try to remember what she said. These can be opportunities to find your strength or learn something new about what's inside of you. And sometimes the days where everything else goes wrong can be the best days of your life, because you got the knowledge that you can handle it.

Of course, this is really hard to remember all the time! But it works.

As for normal days, where nothing goes wrong, just finding the absolute pure joy in the tiniest things can be all it takes to make a great day. Like how cool it is that cats' whiskers can give them so much information. Like how beautiful a tree is when the sun hits it just right. Like how wonderful your favorite ice cream tastes right out of the carton! It doesn't have to be exciting to be the greatest feeling ever.

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