The Day to Come....

Good morning everyone, and, as it’s before dawn while I write to you, I promise, I am whispering...even though it’s still dark outside, the sounds of the world waking up are slowly breaking the silence. I know, for some people, those noises are always met with a groan before diving back to sleep under the covers – not me. As someone who has spent too many nights, restless, a head filled with worries and, at times, even dread, just the merest suggestion of the day coming, is beyond welcoming, whether its the sound of a far away train or a bird calling to its mate outside my window. I suppose it’s comforting, because not only does it mean the long night is over, but it reminds you, there is still a world out there, even when you feel at your most lonely. So you might be wondering what I am going to talk about today, (although when I mentioned diving under the covers, it’s more likely you’re now considering going back to bed),that’s okay, I will try not to disturb you..but for those still with me? It’s all about the day to come.. (actually, considering that’s the title of the post, you probably guessed that already, but, as I explained, it is very early here..)

I guess when most people start to stir from sleep, they believe they know what kind of day they’re going to have – if it’s a work day, their minds reluctantly leave the gorgeous dream they’ve been enjoying - the one about some charismatic, mysterious man/woman whisking them away- and starts picturing themselves, maybe at their desk, taking endless phone calls from dissatisfied customers while attempting to fend off the unwelcome attentions of Nigel from Accounts. So still wrapped in your bedcovers, your mind plays the movie of your forthcoming day, which, if you don’t like your job, invariably leaves you contemplating calling in sick. As you lie there, in the half light, the seed of this idea starts to grow, generally as the rest of your body acknowledges just how warm and comfortable you are in bed. You find yourself having an internal debate between your good and not-so-good sides,

“Would it really matter if I didn’t go in today ?”

“Yes, because you have work to finish.”

“But I almost never have time off and I was feeling a bit ill yesterday, I think I might be sick.”

(This is usually accompanied by a woeful attempt at a cough or a clutching of the stomach)

“You weren’t too sick to finish off that huge bar of chocolate last night, so let’s stop stalling, get up and get to work.”

“But I don’t want too..” whines your ‘bad’ side, but usually it knows the argument is lost, so you toss aside the bed covers and stumble off to the shower – however, there are those few mornings, when your bad side wins and you don’t move at all other than to reach for the phone to make ‘the call.’ The one where you knowingly phone your workplace before anyone gets in, so you can leave a message and avoid those toe-curling conversations with your boss, where you call on your inner Meryl Streep to convince him/her of your apparent illness. But however bad it is, when the call is over, there is that glorious feeling of snuggling back down under the covers, with nothing more on your mind, than how much you’re going to enjoy a leisurely breakfast in a few hours.

So that’s the work day..if you’re a parent with school age children, your morning ‘mind movie’ is far more action-packed and even imagining it, is exhausting! It opens with you gently waking your offspring up, reminding them it’s a school day and breakfast will be ready in ten minutes to they need to get up and get dressed. On hearing either a low moan or a grunt from them, you race downstairs and start hurling cereal into bowls, while simultaneously filling their lunchboxes with what’s allegedly a healthy-ish mix of food. In my experience, once that ten minutes has passed and there are no sounds of movement, you stomp back up the stairs, only to find they’re still in bed – the gentle wake up call is swiftly replaced with a more harsh tone accompanied by a pull back of the covers. Once more, you’re greeted with a moan or a grunt..maybe even a plea for ‘five more minutes’, but, with your eye on the clock, you know, no such allowances can be made, so having extracted a promise of movement, you go back downstairs. Now, if you’re lucky, one child makes an appearance, looking vaguely ready for the day, but it takes you barking orders like some increasingly-deranged drill sergeant to rouse the other. Naturally, as the saying goes, ‘the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ and at least one child will attempt to feign illness,( with my kids, this apparent bubonic plague outbreak normally occurred when there was a sports lesson at school). So you look on with wry amusement, as they dramatically hold their forehead, or start coughing loudly, desperately trying to convince you of their poor health. But as before, there is no time for such theatrics, so you quickly applaud the performance before turning into a whirlwind of activity, collecting up all the essentials of their day and stuffing them into a backpack – so huge and stuffed - a sherpa would struggle to take it up Everest. Finally you wave them out the door, one assuring you of their undying love, while the other scowls, muttering words like ‘this is so unfair, I am really ill.’

So those are perhaps the ‘normal’ starts of a day and those ‘mind movies’ generally turn out to be a pretty accurate portrayal of reality, but in every life, there are those rare mornings when something extraordinary is going to happen and just thinking about it, makes you smile – usually it’s a day which has been planned for days – even months - and, at times, has felt it would never dawn. But there is little better, than waking up and realising, it’s the ‘big day’ and soon you will be at the concert/going on the date/ getting married/going on holiday/having the baby...and even though you’re anxious to get started, you find yourself not moving at all for a few minutes, as you just enjoy the feeling of simply reaching this day. Sadly, as in all things in Life, these days are balanced out by the mornings you wake up and find yourself facing some kind of difficult time – a day you’ve been dreading and, despite all your efforts, has inevitably arrived. Fortunately, for most of us, those dark days are infrequent and even when they do come, most of us will ‘live to fight another day’, so there’s always hope.

So what’s my point? And yes, if you haven’t fallen asleep, there is one, amidst all of these ‘everyday’ days, there are some where you couldn’t possibly predict how they will end..where during its course, something so amazing happens, it becomes a day you never forget...and before you say ‘nothing ever happens to me’...they DO happen, I have lived long enough now to know this to be true. For me, it’s the promise of having these kinds of day, which make the more difficult times a bit more bearable.

When I started writing this to you, it was dark outside, now, the day has begun..the sun is forcing its way through the low cloud and its time for me get moving...so what kind of day is to come? I think I know..but perhaps, if you accept, the unexpected is always a possibility, none of us really do, so I’m just going to see what happens...until the next time…

Take care out there xx