Waiting on a Word

Last night I spoke to a friend who is sad, with good reason.  It didn’t feel right that someone so special could have such a crap day.  As I listened to her recount her day, she revealed that she had skipped her yoga class that morning.  She thought that if she had gone, her whole day would have turned out differently.  She would have been in a better frame of mind to deal with the challenges she faced, she would have felt better about herself emotionally and physically, and she would have been motivated to achieve more during the day, resulting in a better outcome.

I got to thinking, Blogtropolis.

If we sleep seven hours a night, that leaves seventeen waking hours.  Out of those seventeen hours, let’s say we allow ourselves no more than three waking hours of sadness/crappiness/active stress, and live the other fourteen hours in a state of happy contentment.  I think these numbers are reasonable and attainable.

Wouldn’t the world be a better place if every person was happily content for at least fourteen hours each day?  Are we close to that number?  I think I have days where I am close.  I know I have days when I am way far.  What about you?

What if we had a Happy Meter.  Before going to sleep at night, we would plug ourselves in, and see how many happy hours we logged during the day.  If the meter registered under fourteen, we’d get to start the day from scratch and try again.  Sort of like Groundhog Day.  We’d get a do over.

What would we change?  How would we increase our happiness, or decrease our sadness, if possible?  With the benefit of hindsight, what would have helped ease the pain?

I think that during her do over, my friend would go to that yoga class.  What would the rest of us do differently if we could go back and start the day over?  Maybe we would be gentler to our families.  Kinder to strangers.  More helpful to co-workers.  Maybe we would exercise, or do something special for ourselves.  Maybe we would eat healthier, breathe more fresh air, smile more.  Would praying have helped?  Maybe we would call on a friend, or be a better listener.  Exercise patience.

It sucks that we can’t have do overs.  This is our only January 7, 2013.  Let’s imagine that tonight we will plug into the Happy Meter for our reading, and do whatever we can to get that meter up.  For me, that means trying to live today with positivity, fearlessness, kindness and peace.