Take Note

Awhile ago, two friends and I attended a fundraising dinner for an American Indian cause. The guest of honor was an Indian shaman. He spoke to us for about two hours.

This was a new experience for me. And, as I sat there surrounded by the wealthy, privileged class of the city in which I live, I found myself ignoring the context of the situation and focusing on the magnetic man in front of me.

He said a lot of things. But one important idea had the most impact. He said that we tout certain days "special," such as birthdays and holidays, and celebrate them accordingly. However, he wanted to remind us that every day is cause for celebration - we are alive, we are well, and we are given the gift of another day.

I forget this simple idea quite often. My fiance and I visited my cousin, B, and his fiance a couple weeks ago, and I was reminded that my wonderful cousin does not forget to celebrate every day. Of course, he is sometimes impractical in his excitement,* but the excitement is infectious.

All of this is to say that I would like to be more excited about every day before me. They truly are gifts, and shouldn't be squandered. There is too much to experience.


*The most notable example of impracticality on that particular trip was taking the dog on a hike over quite rough rock, where she clearly did not want to be. My cousin at one point exclaimed, "See, she LOVES it!," as the dog bravely trudged on after her master. Ten feet behind, far enough so that B didn't hear, my fiance said to me, "I think it's more accurate to say that she TOLERATES it, because she loves B." This is just one of many examples of why I'm with my fiance, rather than somebody like B, no matter how great he is.