I should probably say something about leaping today. But this February 29 is more about endurance. An extra day in February when some of us feel like the usual number is more than enough, thank you. So leap if you’d like, go for extra if you can, endure no matter what. Chin up.
Vacation, they say. Relax, they tell me. “This is not going to be your typical nice boat ride. This is going to be a very stressful 2.5 hour ride out and 2.5 hour ride back. This is not going to be a pleasant trip.” If there is ever a day for this: Chin up.
One of the wonders of the world is the way people can surprise us. Those known and unknown to us, in ways big and small, lovely and sad. For one quick minute, give the surprise it’s due. Absorb the delight, acknowledge the blow, reorient. Chin up.
Yes, the hotel provides the magnifying mirror, but we don’t need to use it. For today, let’s resist the urge to unnecessarily magnify and obsess over and poke at our faults. (Best to keep self-reflection to real size. Proportionality!) Chin up.
Words like warm sunshine. Words like the song of your heartbeat. Words like a hug with the perfect amount of squeeze. Words like twinkly lights in a dark room. Words like the first morning stretch. A prayer, a challenge, an offer, a wish. Say them all today. Chin up.
Today, let us each leave in our wake (in the words of Dale Carnegie) “a friendly trail of little sparks of gratitude.” May my trail and your trail cross paths and light up this world. Chin up.