Seas The Day (Even if it just means putting on real pants!)

A gentle reminder that sometimes the tide waits for no one — why not ride it now?

When people say carpe diem, what do you picture?

Someone scaling Machu Picchu?
Jumping out of an airplane?
Free solo climbing the side of a mountain with nothing but chalk and questionable judgment?

I used to think that seizing the day meant doing something epic.

Lately, seizing the day sometimes looks more like putting on real clothes.

You know… the kind with buttons.

Maybe even make-up.

Possibly shoes that aren’t slippers (or better yet) flip-flops.

During our 2 months in Panama, I saw day-seizing through a slightly different lens:

• I wrote some honest (and sort of harsh) feedback for our Airbnb host and after re-reading and ‘softening’ it 12 times, I went back and sent my original. Yeah. I did that.

• On our weekly cab rides down to the local Super99 grocery store, I tried to use Spanish with our driver Joaquin. It was awesome when I would look over and ask “how was that? Am I getting better?” and he would get a huge smile on his face and say “yes, not bad!” I would always follow it up with, “I promise by next year, I will be much better!” (scene cuts over to Denise returning to Canada and immediately enrolling in online Spanish course). NOW who’s seizing?

• Keith and I took a city bus packed with Panamanians heading off to work and school and we made the 2-hour trek into Panama City to check out the Allbrook Mall. There is something just slightly unnerving about being the only 2 ‘gringos’ on a bus packed with 75 people.

You don’t have to free solo a mountain to seize the day.

Sometimes seizing the day is just doing the thing you weren’t sure you could do. Or the thing you’ve been quietly avoiding.

Until next time, may a small wave of inspiration find you.