Recently, on an international Zoom call, the opening minutes sounded a bit cacophonous as we excitedly greeted folks we hadn’t seen in quite a while…in at least 4 different languages!! For 4-5 minutes, all you could hear were enthusiastic hellos—bonjour—hola and buongiorno over and over until our host apologized for interrupting but that he was about to mute us all so we could begin our meeting!!

What struck me was everyone’s happiness at seeing each other’s faces and sincerely wanting them to have a great day! When folks say hello, especially in the Romance languages, we are essentially telling that person that we SEE them…that it’s a good day because of that, and that we hope it will continue to be!

But what exactly IS a “good day?” What needs to happen for us to consider we’ve had one? Does it depend on fine weather? Is a good day one that is accident-free? Worry free? When you google “good day,” you read that “in developed countries…soem people consider a good day to be earning a good wage, getting everything done on their to-do list, or accomplishing a goal…”

In less developed countries, does what defines a good day differ? For some having a good day consists in having clean water, something nourishing to eat, and knowing your children are safe. A “good day” for all of us sharing a common humanity is one in which you feel loved and cared for, one in which you were AWAKE to notice the beauty of the earth, a day on which you decide you are blessed…no matter what happens! Mary Oliver writes, “animals praise a good day, a good hunt. They praise rain if they’re thirsty. That’s prayer. They don’t live an unconscious life, they simply have no language to talk about these things. But they are grateful for the good things that come along.”

How do you measure your days? How do you measure a month for that matter, like how was your August? Perhaps it would be good if we reflected a bit on what we personally are thinking when we hope for good days for ourselves, and when we wish others to have a good day? Realistically we know that we don’t mean PERFECT days, do we? After all, no one can avoid loss, disappointment, or conflict in any of our days.

We spend sooo much time trying to avoid these things though, to push away dark clouds, when instead, by reflecting on our expectations and adjusting them a little—-rainy, dark, gloomy days could be awesome too! We would never be able to appreciate the sunny days if those were all we ever experienced!

Join me why don’t you this new month of September to consider each day and honor each day…paying attention to what might have made it a GOOD one. At the end of each one, I plan to ask myself questions like:

• did I enjoy what I did?

• did I make someone laugh?

• did I discover something or someone new?

• was I able to help someone today?

• did anything surprise me?

  I wish you all a month of September where each day you will greet a new autumn season…and one in which you experience many “good days!!”