Make the Days Count

I have asked myself a lot lately, “How many days until…” But with so much uncertainty, those end up being nearly impossible questions to answer.

This evening, I read to my son before he went to bed. He decided that we should read the Little People, Big Dreams book on Muhammad Ali.

He made a great choice. The children’s biography tells the simplest story of Ali as a courageous leader of self and society.

The story was so good that my son and I stopped on nearly every page and talked about Ali, what he did, and the lessons that we could learn from him.

When we got to the end, the final sentence was a quote from Ali.

Don’t count the days, make the days count. — Muhammad Ali

My son, a 6-year-old, did not talk about this one. I think he was ready to go to sleep. However, Ali’s quote stuck with me and I couldn’t help but think of how relative it is in the year 2020.

Don’t catch yourself chalking up another lost day to what surely will become a historical year. Stop asking yourself, “How many days until…”

Make today count. Lead yourself. Don’t let uncertain times lead you.

Thanks, son, for (finally) picking a great book to read — it delivered a healthy dose of Monday motivation! And thank you, Ali, for having lived courageously and continuing to lead us with your thoughts, words, and deeds. It’s probably time to start reading children’s books.