No Such Thing as a Normal Day
Woke up to this lake view this morning and was inpsired to get up, get outside and get moving. The appreciation I felt reminded me of my favorite poem and how I discovered it.
I was Executive Director of the Maui Writers Conference over Labor Day Weekend in 1997 and woke up to the news that Princess Diana had died in a tragic car accident.
I knew this would be on everyone's mind. As Emcee, I was responsible for setting the tone for the day, and knew I needed to figure out a way to address what had happened without bringing everyone down and putting our presenters in the almost impossible position of trying to speak and add value to people who were distracted and depressed.
I knew from experience that poems and profound quotes often have a much-welcomed ability to express what we're feeling but can't articulate.
I started searching through the quote books I carried with me to events in the hope of finding just the right words to help us all respond proactively to this situation.
As soon as I discovered this poem by Mary Jean Irion, I knew I had found them.
“Normal day,
let me be aware of the treasure you are.
Let me learn from you, love you, bless you before you depart.
Let me not pass you by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow.
Let me hold you while I may, for it may not always be so.
One day I shall dig my nails into the earth,
or bury my face in the pillow,
or stretch myself taut,
raise my hands to the sky
and want,
more than all the world,
your return.”
I shared Mary Jean Irion's poem at our opening session and commented that it's easy to feel helpless and hopeless when tragedies like this occur.
Perhaps the only thing we can do to honor people who have departed is to more deeply understand the gift of life and NOT take it for granted - to "dig our nails" into this "normal day" instead of "passing it by in quest of some rare and perfect tomorrow."
How about you?
Are you so busy, so caught up with responsibilities, that you're neglecting to look around, learn from, love and appreciate your blessed life?
Mary Jean Irion's poem reminds us there are no "normal" days.
Every day we can see, smell, taste, touch, hear, feel, think and care is a treasure.
Let us not get so distracted by our to-do's and deadlines that we forget this.
Let us steep ourselves in each day - may we hold it in our heart - and more intensely experience what might not always be so.
May we be present to this day, appreciative of every day - instead of waiting for a special day and putting it off until someday.
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Want more ways to make the most of your life? Check out Sam Horn’s books ConZentrate, SOMEDAY is Not a Day in the Week,Washington Post bestseller Got Your Attention? and her three TEDx talks. Discover why her work has been featured in New York Times, on NPR, and presented to Intel, Cisco, NASA, Accenture, Capital One, National Geographic, YPO and EO. Want Sam to speak to your group? Contact Cheri@IntrigueAgency.com
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5yNormal is beautiful. Take in all the normal you can get. Thanks for sharing, Sam Horn.
Coach, writer and ardent advocate and supporter of women in midlife as they creatively navigate career and business change and design an awakened, meaningful, rich and purposeful second half of life.
5yWonderful poem and reminder.
Project Leader | Project Manager | Project Office | Mentor | Scrum Master | Project Wrangler >> I help organizations transform strategies into results in alignment with capacity, methodology, budget & schedule goals
5yThanks for sharing this absolutely wonderful and relevant poem, Sam Horn. It must have helped achieve your thoughtful goal of setting the best tone for that day given that tragic event.
So True
International Award Winning Executive and Organizational Performance Consultant, Strategist, Author and Trainer• Leaders Hire Me To Accelerate their Transformation to Being 21st Century Ready.
5yoh YES, I do appreciate those normal days after overcoming stage 4 cancer. You realize what is important and how great a normal day can be Sam.