I'm Making It: Activities for Weeks 17 and 18

There isn't much I don't love about the morning. Each dawn, without fail, the day reveals itself. Beautiful details slowly awaken and begin to stretch, defining what the day will be. It seems to me that every day is an opportunity to start again, to love, learn and make our way in the world with more clarity than before.

Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote with great wisdom: "Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in: forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day: begin it well and serenely and with too high spirit to be encumbered with you old nonsense."

Find out how 

Miss the first 16 weeks?

• Get the daily activities for Weeks 1 and 2 
• Get the daily activities for Weeks 3 and 4 
• Get the daily activities for Weeks 5 and 6
• Get the daily activities for Weeks 7 and 8
• Get the daily activities for Weeks 9 and 10
• Get the daily activities for Weeks 11 and 12
• Get the daily activities for Weeks 13 and 14
• Get the daily activities for Weeks 15 and 16

Each day is different. Some days the sun breaks through the dark, replacing the purple night with a pink golden light. Other days the sun refuses to shine and gray clouds readily serve as the backdrop for the brilliant colors found only in nature. No matter how the day breaks, bring yourself fully to the awareness of this fresh start.

So often our lives seem to blur as we run through days that turn into weeks that turn into months that turn into years. It's hard to savor life when we are always on the run. 

This week, bring your attention to each day and honor it.

This week, really live in each day and write in your journal about the things that filled the moments and your heart.

Embrace the day deliberately, focusing on all the details, people, feelings and activities. Pay attention to the rituals that you have developed, as well as the surprises that punctuate the day.

Write about the sunrise, the colors, the heat, the light, the smells, the tastes, the sounds, the laughter and the feelings that swirl into one day.

When night comes, put the day to rest and look forward to the possibilities in tomorrow.

Continue on to Week 18

I am very lucky to greet every morning with three loyal, loving companions. One is my husband, Mark, and the others are Matilda and Emily. Matilda is our dog (adopted from the SPCA), and Emily is a fat cat who adopted us.

I gratefully find myself included in their morning ritual. Each pet gently picks its head up to see who is awake and contentedly stretches. They kiss each other, they kiss me, they try to kiss Mark, although truth be told, he's not wild about their wet cold noses. They begin the day with a greeting that says (if cats and dogs could talk) "Good morning, so glad to see you and by the way, I really really love you."

They are in no hurry. The early morning spent giving unconditional love, nurturing each other and us without requiring anything in return. Day in, day out, they stick to this ritual, all before I get up and let them out to greet the day and the neighbors.

Working from home, I am privileged to see how they spend their day. They follow their instincts, eat with abandon, are constantly in search of a good time and they look for every opportunity to enjoy life. 

What we can learn from naps, treats and walks

I see them wander into the kitchen as we are preparing lunch, happily gobbling whatever treats I happen to toss their way. I see them move about the house as they find just the right spot where the sun streams through the window to warm their coats as they snooze. They take their morning, afternoon and mid-afternoon naps with peaceful pleasure. They let themselves rest without question or guilt. Oh, how I envy the naps—the long, serene, sigh-out-loud breaks from the day.

Our pets have a lot to teach us!

They encourage us to be ourselves, let our guards down, be a good friend, have fun, be faithful, rest, play, to follow our instincts, to kiss a lot and to take advantage of every opportunity to enjoy life.

This week, celebrate the furry friends in your life. If you have your own, that's great. If not, make friends with a neighbor's dog or a friend's kitty cat.

Take time for an extra walk with the dog, make a few more minutes to pet and brush your kitty cat, learn as they yawn and stretch and teach us the correct positioning for downward dog and write in your journal what life lessons you find valuable from our furry friends.