What A Difference A Day Makes
As I write today’s post, I have the news on in the background with the news segment aptly titled – The Queen Dies. This is my first time watching the news since the news broke. I also remember the song, ‘what a difference a day makes’ by Dinah Washington. 24 little hours can make a huge difference in the life of a person or a nation.
Before Wednesday, the biggest worries people, in the United Kingdom, had included the cost of living crisis, impending transport worker strikes that would be an inconvenience and the hose pipe water ban in many parts of the country.
In 24 hours that changed as we heard the news that ‘The Queen’ was poorly and later that she had passed. The whole mood of the nation changed as everything else paled in comparison. In that time, people had to grapple with mourning someone they had loved and respected for 70 years and still make room for a new king in their hearts.
Just a few days before that, the Queen performed a last important task of installing a new Prime Minister and again a mere 24 hours made a massive difference to the lives of many people as leaders got introduced to their new portfolios and teams.
Again within a space of a day, the formalities to install a new king started with 24 hours making a difference to King Charles III’s life and future. In that time many responsibilities immediately fell on his shoulders with the eyes of the world on him and his family.
At the same time, some royals had ‘title and responsibility’ changes, with their financial worth also changing as they inherited different estates that came with their new status.
As all these changes were happening in the United Kingdom, it was also a significant 24 hours for the nations that make up the Commonwealth with many mourning the Queen’s passing whilst at the same time wondering what this might mean for their own sovereignty. For them these 24 hours could be nation changing.
The power and the potential of a day cannot be underestimated. Many of us simply see 24 hours as nothing more than waking times to bed times and the things we did in between. Many days pass in a blur if we are not careful; other days are quickly forgotten because nothing remarkable happened.
We remember the significant days while many others go unnoticed and we struggle to remember what we did on some days. The Queen lived for 96 years which is c35,064 days though the average person will live for 27,375 days based on a life expectancy of 75 years. Those numbers of days don’t sound really high especially if we convert the measure into something like currency.
The question on my mind today is, ‘how can we make our days count rather than watching them pass in a blur?’ How can we reduce the rotten or boring days that we have to end up with more significant days?
This isn’t a question that anyone can answer for you. YOU know what makes some days significant, exciting, positively challenging, fulfilling, joyful and fun. YOU know what causes some days to be filled with laughter and goodness; YOU also know what makes other days drag on, draining, unexciting, uninspiring and unfulfilling.
So if we know these answers, then we have the power to make our days count. In a few days, I will be presenting an award at the BBC Radio York ‘Make A Difference’ Award Ceremony sat with 160 amazing people who are making a difference in their communities.
The nominees are people, who by virtue of what they do would be living through days that are exhausting but fulfilling, with many going to bed with a smile on their faces knowing the difference they have made to someone or to a community.
24 hours is enough to make a difference in someone’s life and for a difference to be made in our lives. So as we start a new week, we should be reminded of the brevity of life and the need to redeem our days by making each one the best it can be and making the most of each day. We must also do what we can to make other people’s days matter.
Thanks for reading my post and sharing it with others. Have a great day.
