Week 28 - "How we spend our days, is of course, how we spend our lives" - Annie Dillard
Something I’ve noticed myself fall into the trap of over the recent months has been the tendency to view the present as a stepping stone to the future instead of embracing it for what it really is. Objectively speaking, our lives are composed of the sum of each individual day. While some days stand out, the majority blend into the backdrop of the ordinary. Yet, most of us will spend our lives fixed on the future, the promise of “the rest of our lives”, rather than living in the moment -the very essence of our life!
Despite its simplicity, my notion that my current actions define “how I’m spending my life” is a weird thought. It doesn’t necessarily imply that every action requires a solid rationale, rather, it just reminds me that unless I find some contentment from my present work, I’m not living my life correctly.
That tension between living in the present and working towards a better future has been something I’ve always struggled with. It’s a duel between experiencing individual good days and cultivating an overarching good life. Though that may appear paradoxical, it reveals a more nuanced truth about the complexity of existence.
In my eyes, a good life is a life filled with all types of days. Good, bad, awful - all of these types of days come together to make a good life. Others may say a good life consists of only good days, but I disagree. Without the struggle or problems that come with difficult times, there’s no way to understand and ultimately appreciate how good it can and will get. Additionally, I strongly believe that good days always will come if you aim to have a good life. But I can’t say the same about the opposite. That is, if I aimed to have as many good days as possible, I don’t think my life would be that great.
Consequently, I find myself conflicted between the good day and the good life. The tension between embracing the spontaneity of the present moment and nurturing a more satisfying existence is challenging but necessary. Life is the longest thing we will experience, but paradoxically, the shortest.
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Agree with you that one cannot realize they are having a good day without an experience of what bad feels like. And if you suffer from hedonistic adaptation like most humans, tomorrow will not feel as good as today if it is not better than today!
But I disagree that aiming for good days cannot lead to a good life. If you love what you do and you keep making a positive difference to the world with what you do, then aiming for good days can lead to a great life!