So
far I’d define today as a good day. Forty-eight hours after returning
from holiday I’m finally catching up on most of the emails. Since
breakfast time
it has felt productive. According to a new study by the Berry Company,
released this week, most Britons know what kind of day they are in for
by 8.12am. How the survey arrived at the precise time of 8.12am isn’t
clear but it’s most likely to relate to the rough
average of people’s alarm clock settings. Many of us take the first
things that happen to us in the morning as an accurate indicator of how
the day will turn out. The behaviour of a partner or boss are apparently
the key deciding factors for making it a bad
one. Respondents to the survey said that bad weather, losing their keys
or uncooperative hair were signs of a terrible day to come. Almost half
of these 2000 UK adults counter their morning tailspin by taking a few
minutes to relax, or listen to music while
a quarter of them opt for some healthy food to improve their state of
mind. But I’m not sure I would put such importance placed on those early
morning minutes anyway. So many things can happen over the course of a
day, not least the pleasant surprises that
will be equally out of our control. I try my best to hold judgment on
the day until it’s nearly over. And then as the lights are switched off
I’ll sometimes ponder on the last line of John O’Donohue’s poem ‘At
the End of the Day: A Mirror of Questions.’ Here it is in full.
At the End of the Day: A Mirror of Questions
by John O’ Donohue
What dreams did I create last night?
Where did my eyes linger today?
Where was I blind?
Where was I hurt without anyone noticing?
What did I learn today?
What did I read?
What new thoughts visited me?
What differences did I notice in those closest to me?
Whom did I neglect?
Where did I neglect myself?
What did I begin today that might endure?
How were my conversations?
What did I do today for the poor and the excluded?
Did I remember the dead today?
Where could I have exposed myself to the risk of something different?
Where did I allow myself to receive love?
With whom today did I feel most myself?
What reached me today? How deeply did it imprint?
Who saw me today?
What visitations had I from the past and from the future?
What did I avoid today?
From the evidence – why was I given this day?
