by: Halina Oleskowski
Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Learn from it; tomorrow is a new day. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
The image that pops into my mind having read this quote is of a family or a group of people at the dinner table. They have just finished the business of consuming their meal and are now replete.
Now it is time to digest the food or energy they have eaten. I see them relaxed and at peace, enjoying the moment, enjoying the company and perhaps also enjoying a glass of wine as they share about their day, reluctant to move just yet. Feeling connected with no urgency to move into action just yet and knowing that when that time comes around it will be at a different pace for the rest of the day. There is contentment, agreement, and co-ordination.
I am my home. I am like that inside when I take the time to regroup my day. When I review what has happened and how I feel about it, work out what I could have done better as well as what went well, that I am happy or pleased with and find the key that made the difference.
Instead, more often than not, I am still in action mode, still hustling and bustling, mostly in my mind – I am on edge and ‘trying” to rest in spurts. Random memories of incidents that happened throughout the day as well as similar situations that occurred on other days keep popping into my consciousness and taking me off on tangents. Some are pleasant but most are not. They are mostly “issues” about my actions or inaction, with other people, with a project at work or at home.
I have not closed down, I am still “working” on the inside if not on the outside. I feel tired but something won’t let me rest and even if I do it is not quality rest. I unconsciously know I am sick on the inside, I feel unwell more often than not. No one cares, no one listens.
The reality is I am the one who needs to care. I am the one who needs to listen. I am the one who can change my situation – I created it.
I have consumed my meal and I am digesting it so that my food (my experiences throughout the day) nourish me, my body and soul. I allow my body to rest, rejuvenate and heal by wrapping up my day.
I say goodbye to anything that is not” family” and thank them for the lessons they provided. They are acquaintances that I may still have something in common with or will never see again. I release the burdens of the day.
Conclusion: I need to acknowledge and respect my experiences each day to fully benefit from the opportunity they provide. By doing so, I can put each day to bed and tuck it in. It is then that I can truly freely release and finally rest.
This is how I can make each day something to look forward to – I awake energized and excited about what is in store for me. I love my life and look forward to each and every moment.