Some days something amazing happens, the day stays solidified in your memory forever. Other days are nothing special, a series of hours stitched together with nothing unique, nothing noteworthy, nothing memorable occurring. The day passes, you go to sleep, and prepare to awake another day, not knowing whether it will be one forever in your mind, or one forgotten as a series of forgettable breaths, one after the other.
Today, so far, is one of those moment-less days. I woke up, I made coffee, I did crunches, I did laundry, I washed my floors. In three years, or even three weeks, the contents of today will be a distant memory, perhaps forgotten completely. And that’s ok.
But today, in all of its monotony, something feels different.
Today, I am aware that I am breathing. I am aware that my heart is beating. My kidneys are perfused, my brain is controlling all of the involuntary events that it needs to. I have eaten twice and my stomach is pain free. I exercised this morning, not because I have to, but because I can. I walked around the corner to the laundry mat, up and down the stairs in my building, through my apartment as I cleaned. I can walk. It isn’t work for me, I learned how to before I can remember, and I never needed to learn again.
Today, I am aware how magical and special life is. You see, not everyone woke up this morning. Not everyone is breathing on their own, not every heart is beating without assistance. Some who wanted to weren’t able to exercise today. Others had to work-out, their health is at risk if they do not. There are many who could not walk today, or as I write are spending hours sweating through learning to walk again. They once spent their days mindlessly performing tasks as I am, but due to an illness or trauma have to relearn these simple things.
Today I am thinking and breathing and circulating. And so are you! How lucky are we?
So take the energy you don’t have to spend learning to walk, trying to breath, working to communicate. Instead, pour that energy into the people around you. Love them, listen to them, try your best to understand them, accept that maybe you don’t, but love them anyways.
The coolest thing about being human is our capacity to love. Are you exercising yours to the fullest?
Everyday think as you wake up,
Today I am fortunate to have woken up.
I am alive. I have a precious human life.
I am not going to waste it.
I am going to use all of my energies to develop myself,
To expand my heart out to others.
To achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all others.
I am not going to get angry or think badly about others,
I am going to benefit others as much as I can.
-The Dalai Lama
According to Kateri 
Nurses