Yesterday was my first day off in a couple of weeks.  My house is covered in dog hair, my laundry is slowly crawling across my bedroom floor looking for a means of escape and the collection dirty dishes is beginning to outweigh the number of clean dishes, but yesterday I didn’t care.

Being able to leave those chores behind is something I am unaccustomed to – I like having a clean, orderly house and it bothers me when things go unattended.  After having worked a copious amount of hours over the last two weeks I wanted nothing more than to restore some order under my roof, but that didn’t happen.

I hit the driving range in the morning and soaked up some sunshine in the process.  And then something even better happened.  I was invited out for a boat ride, something I haven’t done in over a decade even though my town is surrounded by three lakes!  It was glorious and possibly the best thing about being in the open air and catching some more rays is the fact that I didn’t let my mind become consumed by thoughts of the jobs that were waiting for me at home.

The boat ride was fantastic.  We cruised around the lake, had a few cocktails (if the police are reading this, they were actually Ginger Ale) and pushed the throttle forward to make the last few minutes of the ride home a little quicker.  I was like a dog holding its head out the car window, minus the tongue hanging out.  My feet were firmly planted on the floor, two hands clutching the windshield and air rushing towards my face at great speed.

The boat ride turned into a great dinner with lots of laughs and when I returned home I didn’t even notice the dishes that await my attention.  Instead of being lost in mundane tasks, I allowed myself the opportunity to seize the day, to make great memories and enjoy life rather than letting my life control me.

Today I am playing my first round of golf in two years.  The dishes will still be here when I return and the laundry will continue to tie itself together to create an escape ladder, but I have given myself the nod of approval to seize yet another day.  I’m going to add a little more life to my life and enjoy every minute of it.  Perhaps the dish fairy will arrive in the interim and surprise me with clean dishes but even if they are still in the same place on the counter, I don’t care.  This day is mine!

Carpe diem – seize the day!!