Have a good day. It is something said and heard almost everywhere. It is often the parting greeting from a cashier, a teller at a bank, a stranger you may have spoken a few words to, or one of your dearest friends. Seems benign.

But what if that person you are speaking to is going through something? What if they are grieving the loss of someone they love through either death or a break-up? Are feeling so ill it hurts or makes them nauseous just to think? What if they have just recently heard that they are terminal? How cold is it to wish them something so flippant as a good day?

I don’t think it cold at all. Yes, I believe life is a great deal about choice and how we choose to respond to situations, but there are definitely times when it becomes incredibly difficult just to focus on getting through the day, let alone finding the energy to make it a good day.

But what if wishing someone a good day simply means, may you find a moment of lightness, one moment of kindness that even for just that tiny moment breathing feels easier, your heart feels lighter, the spark of hope glows just a tiny bit brighter light the embers if a coal when you blow on them, feeding them the life-giving oxygen that seems to make them come alive and emit an almost brilliant and measmurizing orange glow.

Wishing someone a good day is not so glib as asking out of rote if they want fries with that, sometimes, when done sincerely, it is the kindest thing we can do for someone, the kindest blessing we can receive from someone if we take a moment to understand that they are not telling us to “shape up” or minimize any pain we may be going through. It can be a very simple blessing that says someone cares for you, may you feel your load (whatever it may be) lighten just a tiny bit. May you find that extra bit of breath to feed your spirit. May you know you are cared for, both deeply as a close friend or through the kindness of a stranger that has been brought together through shared humanity.

May you take an extra moment to truly understand the importance wishing someone a good day with mindfullness may mean, and may you recieve those wishes with a loving kindness that lifts your spirits as a feather on a breeze, if even only for a moment.

Have a good day.

Glenna