The best day of my life
I once had an assignment to write about the best day of my life. I could think of about 5 that were really outstanding. How could I choose the best - or at least the best one to write about? The assignment allowed me to classify them. Which one would I want to re-live? Which was most fulfilling? Which made me feel most useful? Which one was a dream come true? And finally, what would my perfect future day be like?
I believe I am blessed to have had an abundance of “best” days. I imagine that all of us, whatever our circumstances, would find days that rose above the rest. And there is value in examining them, as we can learn about ourselves, and how to live better right now.
My best day, at least the one I would want to re-live, really was a best moment. I was in a Sandals resort in Granada with my then partner Rich. It was one of our first getaways during the pandemic. We chose Granada because it had virtually no COVID cases, so we felt very safe going there. This particular day was at the end of our trip, sunny and warm like all the preceding days. Rich seemed kind of lost for most of the time, and his face had that vacant expression that I had learned to recognize as dementia. He worried about finding his way back to our room, and he was reluctant to go into the water. But he willingly accompanied me to the beach and settled into a lounge chair. I spent as much time as I could in the beautiful Caribbean waters. I remember the moment, it was around 11am, and I was standing in water up to my shoulders, gently bobbing with the waves. I felt so peaceful and relaxed. I started to talk with a young woman who was near me, holding a cocktail in her hand. She told me she was getting married that afternoon. She and her fiance had decided to get married on the island on the spur of the moment, so they didn’t have many guests. The wedding was going to be around 5pm at the gazebo at the other end of the beach. Because it was a small beach, the wedding would be visible to me in the very spot I was standing in, and the bride-to-be told me she would wave at me if I was still there in the water. I felt happy for this young woman, and I enjoyed the brief connection and conversation. I was basking in that nice feeling, with the warm sun on my face and shoulders, and the slightly cooler water below. I didn’t have a care in the world. I felt absolutely tranquil and happy. Nothing else was on my mind, and there was nothing I needed to do.
That moment has come back to me many times. It reminds me that there is tranquility and beauty inside me, that I can access by letting go. I don’t have to be solving all the problems of the world, or even any problems, all of the time. It feels good to take a moment, to just be with whatever that moment holds. The world will go on, everything in my life will still be there. It’s nice to know that I can find that peace when I need it.
