A New Day!

A New Opportunity!

During a conversation with a colleague, she asked me in jest: "What is the meaning of life." I responded with the first thing that came to mind: "The sun will rise tomorrow."  And we both laughed.

On the surface, this appears to be a mundane, boring observation about the obvious. We know the sun will rise tomorrow so we never give it a second thought.  We sometimes become so caught up in the stresses, challenges, and problems that vex our daily lives that we behave like the world is coming to an end. What we forget is that tomorrow is a new day filled with new opportunities. 

In my 75 years on this planet, the sun has never failed to rise.  Now, I may not see it on some days because of the clouds or because I am sleeping, but I know it is there. While this is a simple observation, it is filled with wisdom.

Each new day is an opportunity to begin again. Every time the sun rises, we are given a chance to try something different — to find another path.

Have you ever sat in front of a blank sheet of paper and had no idea what to write? Have you ever stood before an empty canvas and had no idea what to paint?  Do you remember your frustration and maybe even anger?  Have you ever spent a few hours working on a project and felt that your work was worthless? Have you ever wanted to give up and quit?  

Remember that today will simply pass into history and tomorrow will be a brand new day that offers the opportunity to start again. So, give thanks for the sunrise and shout, "Good morning, world!" from the rooftops.

How much do we miss because we don't take the time to see the dawn? How many sunrises or sunsets have you spent time enjoying the beauty? Or are you like me — running from place to place, not spending time simply enjoying the beauty of nature?

I have lived through over 27,000 sunrises and 27,000 sunsets. I would be lucky if I saw 200 of them. I could probably count on one hand those I remember. How much we miss because we are busy elsewhere!

How many birthdays have you missed? Yours? The people you love? Our birthdays are one of the important days of our lives.  It is the day we came into this world.

Some of us don't like birthdays because we had bad experiences as a child. My wife tells the story about how her family forgot her birthday one year.  They failed to celebrate her life.  So every year she reminds me that her birthday is coming so I don’t forget.

How much have you missed in the lives of your children or grandchildren because you were too busy to stop and enjoy a few precious moments with them?  Life is about the memories we make with those we love.  Some of us will wake up one day and realize that our children have grown up and gone on living without us.  

Life is a gift that we need to celebrate and appreciate.  Take a few precious moments this evening and watch the sunset.  Wake up tomorrow and watch the sunrise. Choose to slow down and enjoy the precious moments in your life.