An Unconventionally Perfect Day

What does a “perfect” day look like according to what society says it should? Maybe sleep in, go out to eat for a leisurely breakfast? Perhaps it’s a day on the beach sipping a tasty adults  beverage? Or it could be going to some crowded and expensive event-maybe a game, amusement park, or other “made for fun and wallet draining’ situation?

The truth is a day like that may seem great on paper, but is it really “perfect”?

Because I think I had the perfect Sunday yesterday, and it had none of the trappings of what we are told we should enjoy. It was not what most people, when thinking of a weekend day, would consider a conventional, “fun” day. Yet, for myself, and I’ll speak for the rest of our household, it was perfect.

It started, not with sleeping in (ok, for my wife and kids, they did sleep in until 730, which was crucial given their typical poor sleep, but bear with me), but with a 530 AM alarm and a trip to the gym for a nice, long, slow Zone 2 run on the treadmill for 45 minutes. Exercise is not a typical “enjoyment” but starting the day off with physical activity and some sweat has you ahead of the curve for your physical and mental health.

Next up was the grocery store. Boring right? Actually, yes, but at 730 on a Sunday morning, I had the store to myself, and got to chat with Debbie, who always checks me out after my gym trips, never judges my sweat-soaked clothes, and always asks how the kids are doing. It was the start of a theme of the day: social interaction.

The order of the day next was breakfast. Order in? Go out? Naw, we cooked it up, and legitimately as a family. My 5-year-old wanted to make apple sauce, so after giving him an assist peeling and cubing the apples, he cooked them, mashed them, seasoned them himself and you know what? It was actually pretty good. My wife handled our “Power Cakes” which is just eggs, cottage cheese, and psyllium husk blended and cooked on a griddle. Maybe we threw some dark chocolate chips in…

Was it time to laze around after that? That’s what Sundays are for, right? Being lazy? Not for us. It was off to my parents to visit, where we got some whiffle ball practice in their back yard, my mom got granddaughter baby snuggles, and my parents gracefully let our boys eat a small country’s GDP worth of lunch. From there, we went to the park, played some catch and hide and seek, and did get back home because even for a 3- and 5-year-old, there is a limit on how long they can run before a little rest is needed.

In the afternoon, after a little recharging, we were in the garden harvesting our carrots and beets-shoutout to Dwight Schrute, and planting potatoes my dad gave us for a “contest” to see which seedling would grow the most. Finally, a friend of mine came over (I hadn’t seen him for a year and a half for some not so great personal/substance demons he was overcoming, so it was extra sweet seeing him…alive), played War and Chutes and Ladders with our 3-year-old, and then engaged in a hardcore game of roller skate basketball-it was just the 5 year old and my wife on skates, while my friend and our 3 year old went traditional shoe while I held the baby.

After a “lazy” dinner-no I didn’t order in, it was crockpot beef and a set it and forget it oven of sweet potatoes, my friend read to our kids, and they finally went to bed.

For me, 22,000 steps later, I felt more energized than ever.

Now, I know this is not a typical post from me, I can’t recall doing a running recap of a day, and I apologize if it was mere rambling to you. But I was hoping to hammer home a point on what can make your day perfect, and it has nothing to do with a trip to Disney Land or an expensive dinner. A perfect day really can be quite simple:

-Physical activity (our bodies need it, sorry for those who like lazin’ around)

-Social interaction

-Sunshine

Conventional wisdom says we’ll be happy if we sit our assess, get enough dopamine hits while scrolling our phones, and avoid the evil rays of the sun. And I think that’s a load of crap.

If you can get those three elements-sorry for those in a cloud locked part of the world right now in winter-your day may not be perfect, but I think it can be pretty damn great.

And it doesn’t have to cost anything.

And it will leave you healthier and stronger.

And it doesn’t make anyone telling you otherwise more profit…

Do you agree? Disagree? Tell me in the comments. Send me an email. I’d love to hear from you. If you do, I’ll share our Power Cake recipe! By the way, I have some exciting new things coming up this Spring-a new book, a new logo, a new website, and I am already working on my “next next” book and I can’t wait to share those with you. Also, if you enjoy what I write, share it with a friend! Or if you don’t like it, an enemy! I’ll take whatever I can get!