Standing Os

Last Friday my wife and I went to see a play.  It was a cute play.  I wouldn’t say it was great but it wasn’t awful either. It was just, well, entertaining, I guess.  Once the play was over and the cast came out 2 by 2 for their curtain call, everyone in the theatre clapped, but there was no standing ovation.
As we walked to the car I mentioned it to MJ and wondered if the cast felt bad because they didn’t get one.  We weren’t sure, but we both agreed that we were happy no one stood up.  It seems like the last 6 or 8 productions of anything we’ve gone to there has always been a standing ovation and for performances I didn’t feel were worthy of it.  But you can’t really not stand when everyone else around you is, unless you want to look like a dick.  So I’ve been getting up when I totally didn’t think it was worth it.  But it’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the show.

So this whole standing ovation thing got me thinking about day to day life.  I certainly enjoy most days, but not every day is standing ovation worthy and I think I’m OK with that.  I think it’s a nice accomplishment to strive for, but let’s face it, even going to Disneyland everyday would start to get stale at some point.  You would start to recite all the lines from all the rides.  Some of them I can almost recite already not nearly going on a daily frequency. So I can only imagine.

Every day is a gift and I think we should try and appreciate it as much as we possibly can.

But I think telling ourselves to “ENJOY EVERY DAY” just isn’t possible.  Not EVERY day.  And to be honest, life wouldn’t be as interesting as it can get if every day were perfect.  I do think it’s possible to enjoy “parts” of every day.  I think it’s possible to not let the not so good or even terrible things that happen to us not ruin our day.  But if we try to make every day a standing ovation, what do we do when there’s a REAL standing o?  I don’t think it would feel as genuine.

I think a good place to start is waking up in the morning and telling ourselves,”today is a new adventure and I am looking forward to where today takes me.”

And as the day goes along, reminding ourselves that this day no matter where it’s heading, good or bad, is still a gift and even if it’s not turning out to be a standing o, it can still be pretty good.
I’m lucky.  I have a constant reminder of why I need to not take a day for granted.  Yes, I just said I was lucky to have cancer.  But the thing is I know how easy it is to get caught up in the bullshit of life.  Car has a flat, kids are fighting, money’s tight and bills are due, favorite show got cancelled etc.  The list can get pretty huge.
I know it’s easier said than done, but you don’t need to have cancer to make the most of every day.  In fact, you’re super lucky if you don’t!  Take each moment as it comes and now to get super cliche, but “don’t sweat the small stuff”.  It’s just a phone.  It’s just a broken glass.  Everyday we put our feet on the floor is a small miracle and maybe we should be celebrating more standing ovations.  But even when the day isn’t one, it can still be pretty great.