On most days, I count my blessings. Today, I’m counting my days. The days of my life. When was the last time you added up yours? How many days have you been? And how many days may lie ahead? Converting my years into my days brought home that there’s more than one unit of measure for celebrating our lives.
Today, my number is around 14000. 14000 days, 14000 nights, 14000 rotations of the Earth, 14000 lunches, 14000 bedtimes, and 14000 of many other things experienced daily that we tend to take for granted without making much room for them in our memories.
We like quality. We rightly believe that it’s how we spend our days, not how many there are of them that counts. Numbers, however, deserve a mention more often than we’d learnt to believe. What if stopping to appreciate spring flowers in bloom is as worthy of our time as counting how many of them we can see.
No matter what the quality of our lives is, numbers are part of it too. Instead of asking how many days have we been, we often wonder how many days have we been well, or how many days since we’ve felt miserable. If we feel satisfied, we may add a number to it to make it even better. “I’ve lead this company through success for 15 years.” If we’re not happy with a situation, we sometimes add a number to it to make it more dramatic. “For two months I can’t get rid of this cough!” And drama can propel us to act to change. Or to see the doctor.
When unpleasant things would happen to me when I was a child, like having a sore throat, or a cut on my finger, I believed they wouldn’t linger. I wouldn’t think much of a painful splinter or a thorn, knowing that by the time of next winter, they would be gone. Time conquers all, they say. And yet to have the time on our side is but to count the time amongst our blessings, rather than amongst our foes. Even though each new day may bring a new wrinkle, it also brings us countless opportunities to live it fully present in the moment of each breath we take. To pause to observe, and to be aware.
Embracing the score of our days may help us realise that we’re part of everything that’s ever been and will be. All our endeavours, talents, and behaviours are like words added to the continuing story of life we’re writing.
So I’ll stride ahead for another 14000 days, or more. I’m grateful for the very notion of the 14000 to come. When the midnight strikes, or dawn lights up, wherever you are, turn your consciousness to your life for another count. Celebrate it, because you are.
Belief Blog 
I like that – time is on our side. I think so, too! Thanks for visiting friendlyfairytales! Warmly, Brenda
Time is but an interpretation of eternity. Yes, our bodies age and little children grow up. We are time.
Deep.
I usually scuttle away when people start talking in digits, but your post has made me smile. Happy Returns of the Hour! 🙂
I know, this is exactly how I’ve felt on many occasions, and then it occurred to me one day when I converted the years into days that it literally deserves to be celebrated; on the level of gratitude for everything we have become since birth in this body. Happy returns of every second to you! 🙂
“Instead of asking how many days have we been, we often wonder how many days have we been well, or how many days since we’ve felt miserable.”
I’m very guilty of this. As a matter of fact I was ruminating on the sorrows in my life this past Tuesday, when I learnt that a friend’s one year old baby had died. I quickly chided myself for seeing the glass half empty of focusing on trivial things when I had more to give thanks for. I felt ashamed of myself as anguish over my friend’s pain rolled over me. Thanks for your post. It will serve as a reminder whenever I want to feel sorry for myself again. And thanks for following my blog. I’m grateful for every reader. You rock.
Thank you Karen for really expanding my feelings exactly. When all is fine (and rarely our minds will let us think it is), we indulge in “what’s next”, “what else should I go for”. And our shared human condition to question why we can’t have more of the good and less of the unpleasant kicks in without fail whenever we give in and start to compare. Compare ourselves with others. When worse has taken place in someone else’s life, we can chide ourselves for even wishing for more or for lamenting where we are. It’s a great state of a mind to be in when someone else’s success makes us jump with joy for no other reason but for it being so.
I congratulate you on the brave decision to dedicate yourself to writing. Your road is your destiny, sprinkled with your heart’s wishes and struggles. Please share it with the world. Love, A:)ex
Reminds me a line from “The Importance of Being Ernest” It’s awfully hard work doing nothing, but I don’t mind hard work when there’s no definite object in mind.
By “nothing,” of course, I mean enjoying the flowers rather than counting them.
I really like that, thank you for sharing. I’ve just gone out and smelled the flowers. 🙂
You have a great way of putting things! Thanks AP for stopping by my blog.
Thank you so much. Have a shiny day over there. A:)ex