I like to be wished by others to have a good day. I want a good day instead of a bad one. Sure, the occasional bad one is going to contribute to my sense of gratitude and enjoyment of the next good day. But I often get wished not a good day but a GREAT day. I think that is overdoing it. I just had a great day yesterday. I need to rest a day before enduring another great one. Great days can be stressful. I wonder what I did to get such a great day. I fear that I will drop the ball and turn what was a great day up to the drop into a bad day. Bad days are bad enough but to drop the ball, causing the bad day myself is vexing. Who wants to be vexed? Ever been vexed? Well, then, you know what it's like.
I have occasion to talk with young people and when one of them wishes me a great day, I put the wording down to habit. Sometimes, the wisher feels she is having a great day and wants others to get such a prize, too. There is a certain American exuberance that is reluctant to call for a good day or even a better day. Why not ask for a GREAT day?
Well, there are reasons. Each gray day, each day on which you drop a fine book into a puddle of dirty snow melt, each day on which your cookie shatters and falls all over the restaurant floor, each such event is contributing to your future joy when the another fine book is carried without incident, another cookie gets completely into your mouth.
Connoisseurs of days know that the greats need to arrive in a ratio of 1:2.597. We need just about 2 and 6/10 poor or ordinary, possibly slightly trying days of loss, forgetfulness, disappointment and taxation to have our delight for a great day maximized, as was proved in Munich in 1756. Please don't wish an oversupply of GREAT days on me. Just your smile is more than enough on most days.
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Bill
Main blog: Fear, Fun and Filoz
Main web site: Kirbyvariety
