Lists for Days

I have always been a list girl. When I was in Middle School I wrote down what I wore every day. Mostly I did this because my best friend Alison did it and she was way cooler than me. Still is.
It didn't stop with Middle School though. In High School I wrote lists of books I wanted to read (I really wish I would have taken that list seriously-some of them are still on my to-read list now). As an adult I made a few lists that made me cringe a bit. I made lists of things I needed to do. Things I wanted to do. Things I really shouldn't do. You get the picture.
I think there is an art to list making and although I cannot say I have mastered it, there is something therapeutic about putting a big ole X through the things you have accomplished. Have you ever written something on your list you have already done just to cross it out. Yeah, me either. Do you have things on your list that have been there for months, or even years? I sure don't.
I was reading some posts from last year and I stumbled upon my list of advice. The one I wrote when I turned 30. I am happy to say I completely agree with all my previous advice. It got me thinking though. What will my list look like in 30 years? Will I scoff at some of my advice? Will I think things I previously thought important are really not all that important. That was a bit deeper of a thought when I typed it...
Anyway, since I am such a list lover and it is my birthday (well, it was 12 days ago) I thought I would share another list.
This one is a bit different.
I recently heard someone say (was it a song, movie, commercial, radio...?) "it was the best day of my life." And it got me to thinking. Could I really pinpoint the best day of my life? Could I pick one day that surpasses all other days in its goodness?
The answer was simple.
No.
There is not one day in my life that is better than alllll the other days. Of course there are the traditional answers:
my wedding day
the birth of Addison
the birth of Lucas
On and on and on.
However, are those really the best days of my life? I don't think so. Life-changing? Definitely. The best? Not necessarily.
What really makes one single day the best day of your life? And how often are you allowed to trump that day with the next best one.
I told Zach the other day that all our best days were before our kids.
That came out wrong.
All the best days I actually remember were before our kids.
What I meant was that our life is so gosh darn crazy and fast now that I can hardly remember lots of things that actually happened. Like yesterday, I don't even remember what we did. Kidding. Kinda.
But really, when you are an adult, life seems to move so much faster. It is nearly impossible to really hold onto things. Let's just say writing down what you wear every day is so not happening. Especially not for Alison-she has 4 kids  now. See what I mean? Way cooler.


Back to my point.


Even though I do not have a best day, I have the things that make them pretty great. These are not in order. They are simply in order of how I think of them and then jot them down.


1. Weather. 
No matter what it is, you seem to remember what the weather was like on a really good day.
2. That gut feeling.
You know the one. Good. Bad. Amazing. Terrifying. Stomach dropping. You remember how you felt. Sometimes you wish you could just feel it for one more millisecond. Sometimes, you wish you would never, ever, ever, have to feel it again. I forgot this was a list about the best days though, so erase the bad stuff I just said.
3. Clothes.
Ok, this may only pertain to girls. This may only pertain to Alison and I. But I can remember what I was wearing the day I met my husband. I can remember what I was wearing when he proposed. I have this memory of Zach leaning into the refrigerator in his blue jeans shirtless and drinking from the jug. We were in our apartment in Valdosta. There is nothing particular about that day that I remember. Just that.
4. The important people.
Obviously you remember who was there with you. Or not. Sometimes certain people that were actually there are forgotten. Oops. Gotta hate when you are telling that story and the person is all, "yeah, I know, I was there."


That list is way shorter than I expected it to be.


But, it is really funny the things you remember. And I am sure for each person, it is something different. My grandmother tells the most incredible stories. Her memories of the past are so vivid sometimes, I almost feel like I was with her. I can just look at her hands and hear her telling me about every ring she wears. Sometimes I ask uncle Don and Dad to tell us about Jim or Jay. Just so I can see their faces light up. The things they remember. How he cut potatoes. How they felt when he came home. Sometimes I ask Grandma to tell me her wedding story, even though I have heard her tell it ten times. Everyday I ask Addison how her day was, even though I know she is just going to say, "good," or "fine."


That is the best thing about best days. There are so many in this life. And if you don't ask people to tell their stories, or listen intently when they do, you are really missing out on something fantastic. Even the bad ones that stick with us oftentimes become good ones.
Thank God for that breakup.


Do you have a best day. One? Just one?
If so, go make some more! Or make a list. One is just never enough.


And, if you need something to make your day really, really great... Slow dance in the kitchen.