When the day is done . . .

By Richard L. Weaver II, Ph.D.

It doesn’t take that much to convince me that I’ve had a successful day.  One day I repaired a hole in the side of my daughter’s house.  Although it was only 3-inches by 3-inches by 1 1/2-inches deep, it took a couple of hours to cut a block of wood to fit into the hole, shape a piece of aluminum flashing to cover the wood piece and more of the rotting wood, screw the flashing to the wood behind one of her gutters with treated screws so they wouldn’t rust, and then seal the area with silicon to protect it from further water penetration.

One day my wife wanted a 24-inch round table about 24-inches off the floor to use for her “Decorating the Tree” Christmas scene.  I had an extra 3/4-inch piece of plywood, and it took almost three hours and four different kinds of power saw (a jig saw, a bench saw, a handheld circular saw, and a 10-inch radial-arm saw) to cut the round table, make a 3-inch wide box-support for the legs, cut the legs into the same sizes, attach the legs to the box, then attach the box and legs with metal angle braces and wood glue to the underside of the table.  I cut the round table with a jig saw, but I left one right-angled piece so the table would fit into a corner of our dining room and would not move left or right if accidentally hit.

Some days it’s the completion of a couple of book reviews; on some days it’s finishing an essay or two; there are days, too, when I have finished reading two newspapers and some magazines; on some days I have raked all the leaves in the yard, and on yet other days I have paid all of the bills and balanced the checkbook.  

What do you say when the day is done?  “Thank goodness it’s over,” “My work is not done,” “I have so much more to do,” “I sure look forward to tomorrow,” “I hope tomorrow is much better,” or “It just can’t get any worse than this.”  I know, it depends on the day and what happened.

The point, however, is a simple one.  It is the accumulation of days that make a life.  A positive, substantial, contributing life is made up of similar kinds of days.  It can’t be otherwise.  The question is whether we simply want to complete a day, or do we really want to make that day count.

There are, of course, examples of people who had spectacular moments that determined their life like when one of their movies or songs becomes an outstanding success, when their YouTube video gleans a spectacular audience, when someone wins the lottery, when an experiment results in a finding that makes a life-changing contribution, or when an inheritance allows a unique or unusual opportunity to contribute to the well being of fellow human beings.

These are, indeed, unique situations, and although they may “make a life,” they are outliers and should (must) not determine the plan for anyone’s life. You cannot make a life out of waiting to win the lottery, get a large inheritance, obtain a huge insurance payment, or otherwise become rich.

For most of us, it is what we do on a daily basis that not only must be our concern but must be the ingredients of the food that makes up our lives.  The question becomes, how important is it to you to “make each day count”?

You can change the life you have or you can change your life for a positive, valuable future, but to do this requires that you change 1) your attitude, 2) your goals, and 3) your commitment.

So often, it is much easier (easier than changing attitudes, goals, or commitments) to just relax, sleep, or be lazy.  Why should life be about accomplishment?  Success?  Striving for change?

The point is, and it can be summed up so simply: When all is said and done, have you left this world a better place because you have lived?  What is your contribution?  What difference has it been that you have lived in this world — occupied space on this earth — at all?

And the point is that your contribution need not be one of those life-changing, earth-shattering, monumental accomplishments!  You don’t have to be a headline in the local newspaper, recognized for an award by a business or local organization, or been featured in a video on YouTube.  If you look at such accomplishments or recognition as your sole goal in life, you are likely to be disappointed.

It is, indeed, the daily, small, sometimes seemingly insignificant, things that we do that count.  If they were not what is important — if these were not the things that counted — if these were not the factors that make up a life — where would most people be?  How could they justify their daily existence?

By being an active person, taking action on a daily basis, and working hard at every task in which you engage, you ARE making a difference.  Think, for example, the effect this can have on your own psyche.  Think, too, the effects it can have on your children or grandchildren.  How about your neighbors, neighborhood, or community.  Your activity, too, can affect others around you — whether it be a spouse, friends, or other family members.  

Being a well-read, well-informed, knowledgeable, and conversant citizen who is willing to talk, share, and communicate — if this is where you place your emphasis when it comes to being active — you can have an enormous influence on others.

What do I say when the day is done?  First, I love to go back and look over what I have done — whether it’s fixing a hole in a house, constructing a small table, cleaning windows, vacuuming the house, cleaning up the kitchen, or re-reading an essay or book review.  No task is too small not to appreciate it.  Second, I always appreciate having the physical strength and the mental ability (all still fully intact) to continually accomplish new things.  Third, I go to bed with the feeling, “I am satisfied,” “I am fulfilled,” “I am fully alive.”  These are not only the thoughts at the end of each day, they are the thoughts, too, that provide a restful sleep in preparation for another day of activity.

For me, it is as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote in the final four lines of his famous poem, “The Day is Done”:                            And the night shall be filled with music
                                     And the cares, that infest the day,
                                     Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs,
                                     And as silently steal away.
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At the Family Education website, there is a wonderful little essay entitled, “Consider Yur Legacy,” which ends like this: “When we're wondering about whether or not our daily efforts are worth it, our legacy might be at the core of that concern. If you knew today was going to be your last, how would you spend it?”

At HubPages.com, Mqubas has authored an essay, “Your Journey Ends With Your Legacy,” which begins with the paragraph: “We are all travelers in this world. We are all walking and running every day unknowingly. We start our daily journey by rising up from our bed and ends by retiring to the same bed. We wake up in the morning and brush our teeth, have a cup of coffee or breakfast and proceed with our daily chores. Even though we have different works, at the end of the day, we are always compelled to answer one question: and that is if we have reached our goal successfully, whether we really finished that day's journey or not with victory.”
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Copyright October, 2011, by And Then Some Publishing, L.L.C.