Smile White and Wide

So, what does "Live Each Day" really mean? It means a lot of things to a lot of people. What I'm interested in, is what it means to you and me.

I am trying to Live Each Day to the fullest. That means making each day count, doing positive things every day. Yesterday I had a high and low of this attempt. The high was the success of a business deal for my gift card holders that I've been working on for two months now. That was the morning. The low was at about 7:30pm, when I had three kookoo kids who were still not in bed, the house a mess, no underwear in my son's drawer, no long sleeve shirts in my older daughter's drawer, and no husband at home to help (he was out working his butt off).

With that moment behind me, and with another harried day, I sit here in the endorphin-laden feelings of restfullness (post nursing my baby) to write about how lucky we really are. How lucky I really am. I am healthy, with a nice home, beautiful, healthy children, a loving and responsible husband, a wonderful family, for whom my main wish is to only see more often.

What are the blessings in your life? Think hard. I bet there's lots.

I saw a homeless man recently, whose presence brought me to write the poem to follow. He was wretched and dirty; he had obvious physical ailments; yet, he had a smile that was real. A smile, not only of content, but of true joy. ok, maybe he was on drugs - but perhaps he was just living that day. Maybe he was realizing that he had the glory of experiencing The Earth, spinning madly through our ever expanding universe - that he is a sub-microscopic speck of beauty in a universe we know so little about.

Homeless Man
by Tally Oliveau

I see your white smile
and twisted knee
brown cap tipped
God blessin' me.
You appear grotesque
standing in the rain,
You appear to have nothing,
just memories and pain.
So why do you smile
so white and wide?
Have you found happiness
deep down inside?

Part of living each day, for me, is an appreciation of the downright unbelievable luck that I have to be living on this little spinning rock we call Earth. There is no possible way that I can ever feel how small I truly am, amid all the other solar systems, galaxies, and the dark spaces in between. So, if this poor man on the corner can smile, well, I can too.