I heard the voices as I came down the stairs – hushed but urgent. Something was going on. Chrissy and I were in a rented condo overlooking Little Lagoon in Gulf Shores, Alabama. It was early in the morning, my favorite time of day. I had a mug of coffee in hand and was on my way to the beach across the road to watch the sun rise out of the Gulf of Mexico.
The voices were from a young couple and their car wouldn’t start. They had an eight-hour drive to get home and had a sense of urgency about getting on the road that they didn’t explain, and I didn’t ask. I pulled our car around, we hooked up the jumper cables, and soon they were on their way, leaving behind many thanks and wishes that they could do something for me. I just told them to jump start someone else someday. And after all that, I made it to the beach just in time to see the sunrise.
That day would unfold like few others. We were in town to see the Coral Reefer Band in Orange Beach that night. But before then I would help a lady take sunrise pictures with her dog, we made tailgate preparations for the concert, we loaded up extra beach chairs from the condo for tailgating “in case we make friends”, and we would end up in a tailgate circle of a more than a dozen, most of whom had just met. As if that wasn’t enough, in the craziest chance encounter of my lifetime, we met a lady in the parking lot who was from my hometown, who had known my grandmother, and had a song about her that her family used to sing. “Joy Put the Paper on the Wall” was the best song of the evening, but the Coral Reefers put on a spectacular show that definitely kept the party going. Jimmy Buffett would have been proud. It was a Perfect Day.
I was standing at a counter with charging stations, trying to get some work done on my laptop while I monitored the situation. The weather did not look good. The big orange and red blobs on the smartphone weather app weren’t really necessary. The view out the window made it pretty clear that nothing would be flying anytime soon. Delays turned from minutes to hours to the most dreaded word in air travel – CANCELLED. The app said I was automatically rebooked on the same flight tomorrow. A full day lost, including losing part of my weekend.
I had already noticed the lady to my left with her phone plugged in to charge. She was an older lady – 77 I would later learn – and appeared to be unsure about what to do. I struck up a conversation with her as I packed up my things and learned that she was supposed to be on my flight, going to the same destination, and now we were in the same boat. She was OK with handling the flight rebooking but was unsure about a place to stay for our 24-hour delay. I had already found a hotel and I offered to reserve a room for her, which she graciously accepted. We shared an Uber and a wonderful dinner together where I learned her fascinating story. She worked as an economist for a 20-year career but grew tired of it and went back to school for a degree in Greek Literature. Her husband passed away about a year before and she was traveling home from a visit with a grandson. She was quite capable – she wasn’t some little old lady who needed my help – but it was nice for both of us to have a companion as we navigated the disruption. As Jimmy Buffett said, now I have “another good friend”. It was another Perfect Day.
Chrissy and I watched the movie Perfect Days for the second time the other night. It is perhaps the most beautiful movie I have ever seen. There is very little dialog, but the use of sound is incredible. From the folding of a futon to the clattering of cassette tape cases, the sound puts you right into each scene. The film follows a main character who leads a seemingly mundane life through a series of days. Some are good days, some are bad days, but in the end you realize they are all Perfect Days.
That is the essence of living in the moment. Good things are going to happen. Bad things are going to happen. There will be joy. There will be suffering. The plans you have for tomorrow may not work out, but don’t mourn for them. Live today. Find contentment in your current situation. Plans and goals are good, but don’t sacrifice today’s contentment for tomorrow’s goal. Find joy in something simple. Be a friend to someone who is suffering. Now is the most important time on your calendar. Today is a Perfect Day.
Where Are We Going Now? 