There I was sitting in my truck, minding my own business while having a quick meal, and I realized something: I had no “pep” in my step that day. It wasn’t a “bad” day, but there just wasn’t much I was looking forward to. This crazy pandemic and all its wavering opinions and mandates were wearing me thin. These days, it seems we never know what to expect of tomorrow…other than the fact that ‘something’ will be different. Then as I was reviewing my utter blah-ness of the day, I looked down–and suddenly it hit me right between the eyes…literally! On my cup lid was a simple phrase…
“Savor Every Sip.”
I’m sure the drink manufacturer meant savor the [drink] but to me it meant something else entirely. While it’s easy to get stuck in a rut of day-to-day whatevers…we need to find something special about the day that we can savor. It might not be readily obvious, but there is always something to savor.
Now, I am such a routine-based person that I live on the verge of OCD…seriously. I recognize this is a disorder, not a gift. I have my morning routine down; exactly the same amount of time each day to get ready. I actually secretly rejoiced 3 days ago when I found a consistent way to shave 8 seconds off my routine each day! This was huge! (Embarrassing confession, I know, so if you’re one of the readers who actually knows me, forget I ever wrote this..)
The point is: we get into these routines–whether they are every morning, every day or just every time–that make it really easy to become complacent. Sometimes we forget that even the smallest things are actually a blessing. Just waking up each morning is actually something to appreciate. Life itself is a gift. We take it for granted because it’s usually there for us every morning – so try to treat it as something rare. Something that has never happened to you before.. Processing all this, in the face of that coffee-cup slogan, I decided then and there that I was going to be in a ‘good mood’–for no logical reason other than that I was alive! Suddenly the unknown day had all sorts or hidden opportunities; and it was my job to find them!
Sometimes our routine involves little more than advancing, increasing and conquering. All the while, we tend to forget how to enjoy the things right in front of our faces. How about taking the interest off of yourself, and seeing what you can do to help someone else enjoy what they have?
Our day-to-day routines usually involve performance rather than appreciation. I would like to suggest that proper appreciation is an accomplishment in and of itself! Realize and appreciate what we have, who we have and where it came from. Even at the root, we wouldn’t have half of what we have if it weren’t for others.
So take a breath, sit through another cycle of the red light, and don’t think of it as bad timing…but rather an opportunity to “Savor Every Sip!”
“Look at the birds! They don’t worry about what to eat—they don’t need to sow or reap or store up food—
for your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are.”
Matthew 6:26