Strike This Day Out, Please

Have you ever chosen to have a non-day? A non-day, to me, is a day that really doesn't count. It begins with challenging, "hard to register" events and seems to spiral ever downward as it progresses. Feeling the lack of control at some point, I choose to ride out a non-day by merely hanging on and saying to myself, "This day is inconsequential."

I understand you can't fill a calendar with non-days. Too many would prove extremely counter productive. And, I also realize that stamping a day as "non" is really an excuse for delaying some inevitable consequences. Procrastination can merely delay imminent payment, often creating new problems, yet I'm sure many non-days look different, even better, after time allows some new perspective.

Non-days can be beneficial to mental health. For example, when a day seems to be unacceptable in outcome, declaration of non-day status officially releases the pressures and stresses temporarily. I'm sure you have had many instances when you said to yourself, "If I only had some temporary relief from this." Pulling your mind and soul from a perplexing or painful situation may be a good option. Heavy loads can buckle shoulders and, face it, some days are just not conducive to toting the weight. On those days your mental and physical strength wane.

If you relieve yourself from uncomfortable days by using alcohol, drugs, or some other negative remedy, you usually feel much worse after you return to reality. By simply declaring a non-day, you can avoid some hangovers and downs. It's actually a way to keep from beating yourself up when black clouds gather. No one said a particular day was going to change your life in any significant way anyhow. You can take control in the non mode. You simply refuse the day - pretty much the antithesis of the cliche "carpe diem." You realize the iron is not hot yet and instead of plucking the sweet strings of the day and trusting nothing in the future, you actually put your total trust in tomorrow.

I say tomorrow does come (at least in most cases). Non-days do not necessarily represent gaps in existence. They can, instead, be transitions to more fruitful times. Face it, try as you may, total control is beyond your power. You can do everything possible attempting to insure desired results and solid plans can still go awry. At times conserving vital energy is just "the way to go." Just rack that bad boy up as a non-day and some losses seem to melt away.

To conclude, I want to be sure I am clear about my feelings concerning non-existence. If the Indians surround you, waves of arrows fill the air, and your name is Custer, you better act immediately. Maybe that analogy isn't the best considering the outcome of that particular event, but I think you get my point. Circumstances often require immediate reaction or quickly formulated action. I am not suggesting burying your head in the sand when days turn bleak. I am, however, saying inaction is an option that many later wish they would have taken. Besides, some days merely present things that seem to have the upper hand. A wise poker player knows when to fold. Just ask Kenny Rogers.