Posted in A Moment in My Life

“A Perfect Day Over and Over or A Not-So-Perfect One?”

A Moment in My Life – Friday, August 19, 2022

Jeannie Yee Davis

What would it look like if you could choose the kind of day to live? “Would you rather live one perfect day over and over or live your life with no perfect days but just decent ones?” Jenny Han posed this question in her novel “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” and it has been dancing in my head since I read it. I wonder what I would choose. I never quite thought about it, but I strive for a perfect day every day. In real life, there is no such thing as a perfect day, or is there? Perhaps there is, but it wasn’t in my deck of cards. Was it in yours?

What would a perfect day look like to me? I imagine it beginning with a gorgeous sunrise unique from the day before, a gentle breeze, and a whiff of fresh, clean air as I sip from a hot cup of joe that remains hot to the last sip—flocks of birds in formation flying into my sunrise just as I click the photo. That’s what a perfect morning looks like to me. The rest of my day would look pretty much the same, with everything falling in place seamlessly. I think the gist of it would mean my plans working out without issues. People I want to socialize with will be available, and we’d have an amiable, pleasant time together—family gatherings where everybody gets along without discord. Peace and harmony surround me, and that sounds perfect. 

That does sound lovely, but would I be happy living this same day over and over? Although, I am a creature of habit who lives in routines. I have my daily morning routine checklist, but that’s only to ensure I get the must-do’s done because my to-do list is longer than the days of my life. I get tired of doing the same things all the time. I need a break and change occasionally. I long for weekends, days off, and vacations where I deviate from the same-old, same-old. Some of you know that I’m a song repeater. I once played the same song on repeat for two weeks. Oh, how I loved that song. As much as I loved that piece, I eventually needed a change. So, would I want to live the same perfect day for the rest of my life? 

If you think about it, perfection is subjective. My definition of perfect is not yours, so how would we simultaneously survive on a perfect day? We would need variety, just like shopping in a store. The whole purpose behind vendors providing more and more merchandise to choose from is because no two people like all of the same things. I am a sun lover and a fan of summer. Many people I know prefer the fog and wintry weather, which means if we’re living in the same space, one of us won’t be a happy camper. How does that work?

You know what, though? If we live a perfect day every day, I think that limits our full potential on many levels. We need the dark to see the light, the bad to appreciate the good, and the lessons we encounter to learn and grow. My belief, we don’t know what we don’t know until we know. The only way to achieve that is by encountering unexpected situations when we least expect them. When things aren’t perfect, we learn a lot about ourselves and one another by working together to remedy a problem, find a solution, or fix something that broke. As Jenny Han said, “It’s the imperfections that make things beautiful.” A great sense of joy accosts me when I suddenly see the beauty I haven’t seen before. It’s the little pleasures of life. It’s a means to see people differently when life isn’t perfect. 

Now that I had a chance to think on this topic, I prefer to live life with no perfect days but just decent ones with perfect moments every day. Having a perfect moment each day raises our happy hormones, which can float us through the day. That doesn’t mean we can’t hope for a perfect day. Hope flows us through life. We need hope to get out of bed, to do the things that we do, something to look forward to that gives us meaning to live every day. The unknown adds to the flavors of life—making and keeping it exciting and the world spinning around the way it needs to be. As Forrest Gump said, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” And that adds just the right amount of mystery to make a day perfect yet unique.

I am passionate about capturing gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, but I desire unique photoshoots, even if they aren’t perfect. The beauty of my endeavor is how to capture the best photo with what I have to work with, and that makes it perfect. On the same token, as much as I love sunshine, it’s a lot of fun to dance in the rain. There is a time and place for everything, and it is such a blessing the world is the way it is, giving us a little of everything to enjoy that I’d gladly forfeit living a perfect day every day.

That’s just my take. Now, your turn. I would love to hear your take on this subject. Delight my ears, my friends, and tell me, would you prefer a perfect day over and over or a not-so-perfect one?

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