These words were the beginning of a song I once sang in a choir. Everything has its time. I am part of the presumably last generation that had a childhood without cellphones and computers. I remember when we, somewhere in my upper teens, got our first computer and I learned about this strange phenomenon called "the Internet". In school we had to get a computer driver's license; our fingers were placed in the right position on the keyboard and in order not to fail, we needed to be able to correctly type a certain amount of words per minute. I realize this would probably sound rather medieval to young people today who seem to have this sort of thing in their blood, but we had to go through the basics - how to search for information online, how a website works, how to scroll and browse.
Today, I believe myself to be quite independent and efficient in my use of computers, but I can vividly remember a time when I thought that <3 symbolized a lopsided icecream cone. Something that also fascinates me is when new ways of communicating and reaching each other suddenly appear and become "a thing". When I was a child I had pen pals all over the world; it was letter papers and envelopes, stamps and snail mail. Now I get to witness how phenomena such as reels, hashtags, memes and POVs have become means to be heard, to share opinions and to connect. It's a new world to navigate and while it might be tempting at times to fall into the mindset of "things were better in the old days", I actually don't think they necessarily were. Or maybe in some regards but certainly not in all of them. Everything has its time and sometimes you just have to hold onto your hat and try to keep up. Undoubtedly, the constant flow of input we are fed daily by social media has its downsides and pitfalls, but it also comes with blessings. There is the opportunity to find like-minded people, social communities, support groups in every shape and form, information and inspiration.
About a month ago, a meme appeared in my feed that went straight to my heart. The short text read "One day or day one". I've googled a bit and now understand that several people have created content based on this sentence, which is often the case when something is thought provoking or relevant to us, but this was the first time I read it. The sentence is so simple, but the idea of swapping the words around has never occurred to me before.
Things that we hope or plan to do one day at some point in the future - whatever it may be... is there something we feel is standing in the way of having today be day one on our way there? This is not about judging ourselves for the things we feel we don't have time for. We live in a stressful society with many things demanding our time and engagement, and everything points to the fact that mindfulness and being in the moment are more important than ever for us to feel good. But that doesn't mean we don't have dreams and things we long for.
So even if our dreams feel miles away from where we are today, even if our current reality and experience is totally different, even if it seems impossible to get there… what can I do here and now to make today be day one of my way there? I really don't think these actions need to be very big, especially if it feels like we lack both time and energy. But they do need to be in alignment with what we want, with what we may secretly promise ourselves will become our reality one day.
If you hope to write a book one day, can you today take another book in your hands, close your eyes and feel how exciting it will be when you hold your own? If you would like to move or live in a different accommodation, can you today move an object or a small piece of furniture and place it elsewhere in your home to feel that you are inviting change? If you feel that you are not enough for people around you, least of all yourself, can you stop for a moment today, put your hand over your heart, lower your shoulders and take a couple of deep breaths?
I really think these kinds of actions should not be underestimated, no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. It doesn't even have to be the same things we do every day, as long as we feel that what we do matches the vision we have. With these actions we communicate something to ourselves; we tell ourselves that it's okay to dream and want things, and that it's okay to lean in that direction. We say that what we long for is important to us... and that thereby, we are also important to us. And if we let tomorrow be day two and the day after tomorrow day three, I think after a while there's a possibility that we'll feel like we've set something in motion. Everything has its time. What is it time for today?
In warmth and gentleness,
Karolina
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