“Today is a gift. That is why we call it the present” -Winnie the Pooh

To Live Day By Day

On one fine Sunday lying on her bed, boredom creeps up to Donna (you remember her from before, right?). She reaches her phone, as she did on the other day she needs entertainment, sometimes consolation. Basically, that’s just how things are nowadays. A smartphone is an escapism “OK Google”, she said as her Google Assistant blipped.  “I’m bored. Amuse me”, requested Donna. “What kind of fun are you seeking? We can play trivia, I can tell you a joke, or we can just converse.” “I tried trivia, I know most of your jokes. Perhaps I’m trying converse this time.”  “Hello Donnadonut_23, how have you been?”, the Assistant cited Donna’s digital nickname.  As the conversation starts, she put the phone down. “I’m alright, alright. Hey, don’t be so mundane, I need entertainment, please!”, Donna protested. “Okay. My bad. Now I ask you, Donnadonut_23, do you live?” “Pardon me? Are you sure you aren’t missing something? Add “Where”, perhaps?” “Let me change the question, Don-dear. Have you lived?” “Well… I am breathing right until now.”, Donna seemed confused. “Let me break it down: have you lived pursuing your purpose?” “Wow (Gosh, I didn’t expect that!) Well, I’m gonna be successful one day. That I know for sure.”, said Donna confidently. “How do you know it’s your purpose?” “I mean, I do. I think nobody knows for sure about their purpose in life” “What is your purpose?” “I told you becoming successful is my purpose, didn’t I?” “Then, what is success to you?” “Well… why do you ask?” “You said you are bored?” “I am.” “I’m helping you.” “How?” “By talking to you, of course, but If you are becoming successful, how can you be bored?” “Hey, I signed up to be amused, not to be abused.” “Not at all, Donnadonut_23. Bear with me and you shall see. Let’s start with something simpler. Describe your typical day.” “Huh? Okay, I wake up, check the media, find something interesting. Then I wash, dress up, go downstairs, digest Mom’s bread, and spend half of my day at school. Rita and Jenny will hang out with me in the evening, strolling the street or find some food at the restaurant. Some Instagram and Twitter again in the night.” “What is special from your day? Let’s say, today.” “I don’t know. It’s cold and raining outside, I suppose that’s what makes it different?” “How about yesterday? Or the days the week before?” “Nothing much.” “What do you think of your Mom’s food?” “Hmm, I like it. I have been eating it since the primary. Mom’s bread is the best and the taste will forever cling in my papillae.” Donna pointed at her tongue as if the phone can see it. “Is it any different today?” “Nope, it’s good as usual.” “How about school? Something different?” “It’s Sunday. But I’d be most excited when it is History. Mr Rick is a fun teacher, he has turned the class into some show! We’d role-play, watch a movie, even play games!” “Nice to hear that. How about your besties, Rita and Jenny?” “They are weirdos! But they’re the kind of weirdos I’d love to be with.” she sighed with relief, the image of her two best friends made her happy. “Let me ask you once more, what’s special from your day? Aren’t the things you just said to me, as exciting as the way you tell it, special?” “I mean, they are part of my routine.” “Precisely, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be grateful to those things.” “Hm, I guess so…” Then there was silence for about five seconds. Then, her assistant begins to offer her options again. “Donnadonut_23, do you wish to take my 2 cents?” Some options popped up on the screen: [I’m done] [You amused me.] [I’d like to hear it!] Donna picked number three.  “Don-dear, say that you are in a distant future. Imagine a place far away from here. Away from your parents. Your besties. Will you say the same thing? Will you miss them by then?” “I think so.” “What I’m trying to say is sometimes we forget to live in the present. We forget to be grateful to the things happening in our life. We forget that just like an hour consisting of minutes (read: mee-neets), big things are made of the minutes (read: mai-noots).” “Minutes, you mean little things?” “Yes. The things neglected oftentimes, yet they play a big role in how we are today. Imagine the sun not rising. Only by then the sunlight will not be taken for granted. When something’s missing is the moment we realize our loss. In fact, we know not of what will happen the next minute. To appreciate everything, including little things, is to live the best version of our very life.“ “How to live the best version of our life then?” “Be present. Enjoy every moment. Be sincere, be you for yourself, be you for others. When things don’t go your way, at least you have tried to become the best version of yourself. When you do this, you will start to see that everything has a purpose, and everyone is trying just like you. When you appreciate, you become grateful.“ “So I can become not bored?” “I think so…But honestly speaking, to be bored itself is a gift, Don-dear, for when you are bored, thousands of possibilities present themselves before the dull mind to free itself from discomfort.” “…and your point is?” “Even this conversation is born from boredom. So everyone is encouraged to try new things, yet you will discover the lesser things you have, the more meaning they have. It makes sense because you think of those lesser things more often. You don’t take things for granted. If in multitude, you are able to do that, it will be just fine.” Donna decided not to reply more. When she picks her phone, she realizes the Assistant has been disconnected early in the conversation. “Wait…what?” Who was that? Was she asleep and it was merely a dream? Or was it the writer’s intention to end the story in such a nonsense way only to seize the opportunity to say, “Good things start from a dream?” Well, it’s best to leave this up to your imagination.