Blank Days

Blank Days

Almost all of us have them…daily planners with so many plans we can hardly see the white space of any day left in the wake of the ink. But, occasionally it sneaks up upon you. You look at the calendar which is usually a mosaic of to-do lists, appointments, reminders, and scribbled bits of shopping lists. There, amidst the chaos, peaking out at you is a completely blank, untarnished day! It’s almost like finding a forgotten present in the bottom of a Christmas stocking when you’re packing up the decorations for the next year. It’s so totally unexpected, a thing to be treasured all by itself.
Blank days deserve an extra long pajama break…when everyone lounges and just enjoys being together, snuggled in blankets and soaking in the warmth and love. Blank days deserve one extra cup of coffee, many extra hugs and many more minutes listening to silly stories that do not have a beginning, have a rambling plot, no conclusive ending, and doubtfully happened in the first place. Blank days mean you can make your favorite breakfast without worrying that by the time the pancakes leave the griddle it will be time to leave the house. Blank days mean that little boys can be indulged in their breakfast conversation without warnings about “more eating, less talking!”
It doesn’t matter what the weather is like on blank days, because there are no plans to spoil. There are no agendas to ruin, no lists looming over your head to accomplish before the setting sun, no projects beaconing for your urgent attention. Blank days are fresh and new and as inviting as a clean artist’s canvas, ready for families’ loving brushstrokes to create memories for years to come. Blank days mean the Tickle Monster can spend more time stalking his favorite prey…little children! Blank days mean we can sing silly songs together without barking out orders about morning chores that need to be accomplished or lamenting over lost shoes and backpacks in disarray. Blank days mean that when you finally do get around to dressing your clothes don’t necessarily have to match, in fact creative fashion statements are encouraged. Blank days mean that if you insist on wearing your Underoos backwards, it’s no big deal.
Blank days remind us how sweet life is when we slow down, don’t over schedule and try to out do our personal best record for most items crossed off a to-do list. Blank days remind us that when all the business of life is stripped away, what remains is all that really mattered anyways. More time for hugs, more time for stories, more time for joy and just being together. More time for love.
If we all had more blank days, more often, maybe our daily planners would start to look quite different. Maybe instead of cramming as many appointments and accomplishments as we could into the meager white space of our daily planner, we would be inserting large “X’s” to block off great blocks of sacred, blank space. More blank space in our calendar to accomplish the only thing that will matter in the end anyways…taking time for love. The next time you look at your calendar and someone or something tries to occupy space on a totally blank day, think twice. Keep it blank. It may turn out to be the best day of your life.