An (Un)Normal Day

I watched a movie a couple weeks ago called "Life in a Day." It was a pretty interesting concept for a film. National Geographic had regular people throughout the world film the happenings of their day on July 24th, 2010. Then the filmmakers gathered all of the footage and put it together to create a documentary that shows what life was like on that day, from beginning to end. You see all sorts of things in the movie. You see people getting married. You see people riding their bikes around the world. You see people fighting cancer. You see people praying. You see women in third world countries carrying jars of water on their heads.

What I find to be really interesting about Life in a Day is that it is a film that cannot be remade. When you're filming something in a studio, you can re-shoot a scene if you don't like how it turns out. Just shout out, "Cut!" and then roll it again. And when you do this, the different takes look really similar. It's basically the same thing: the same words are spoken, the same camera angles are used, the same facial expressions are made. But with this documentary, that's not how it works, because it shows life as it happens on a specific day, and it's a day that will never be repeated.

Last month, a lot of people made a big hoopla about November 11th, because the date was 11/11/11, and that won't happen again for another hundred years. And that is pretty cool, I guess. Maybe when the clock struck 11:11, you made your ultimate wish. I hope it came true for you, I really do. But the truth is that every single day is a day that will never happen again. Today is the only day it will be December 20th, 2011. Ever. And once today is over, it's gone forever. It can't be recaptured. And all of the events throughout the world that took place today will never occur in the same combination ever again. Every day is a period that is here for a while and then gone.

I feel bad for people who talk to me on a regular basis, because it seems like whenever someone asks me, "So how was your day today?", I answer, "Oh, you know. Just a regular day. Same old, same old." That's how days can feel, I suppose. Especially when you work a job that is pretty repetitive, for all you fellow cashiers or bricklayers. But when you really think about it, there is really no such thing as a "just a regular day," because each day is a little different. No day in your life has been an exact carbon-copy of another day. Each day is filled with new conversations, new thoughts, new experiences, even if they seem like insignificant ones. Each day is entirely new and different.

Not only that, but every day holds the potential of being something remarkable for you. For many people, today was the very first day of their lives. And for many others, today was their last. Today someone got the job promotion he has been working hard to achieve. Today some kid learned to ride a bike. Today some guy got down on a knee and proposed to the love of his life. And today, some other guy totally blew it with the love of his life.

I often have a hard time getting out of bed in the morning. For one thing, it's just so dang warm under my blankets! But for another, I can think, "Well, time to start another routine day." And maybe you think the same thing. But honestly, today might be anything but routine. Today could be the best day of your life. It could be the day you hear back about a job that you applied for weeks ago. It could be the day you happen to bump into your old bank teller at Barnes & Noble. It could be the day you discover a new favorite band or watch the greatest movie ever made. It could be the day you meet your best friend. And it could be the day God puts the final period on the story of the world and drops the curtain on the whole thing. Every sunrise sheds light on a new world of possibilities.

And that makes every day a little more exciting, I think.