{"id":332,"date":"2022-04-03T14:12:30","date_gmt":"2022-04-03T19:12:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/annbarry.com\/wp\/?p=332"},"modified":"2022-04-03T21:49:01","modified_gmt":"2022-04-04T02:49:01","slug":"best-day-ever","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/annbarry.com\/wp\/best-day-ever\/","title":{"rendered":"BEST DAY EVER!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Every day I get up asking how to make this the best day ever. <\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a typical day in Iowa today<\/strong> with glimpses of sunshine, mainly gray, hovering around the mid 40\u2019s and it looks like this week we\u2019ll make out of the drought meter with ample rain.  It felt like freedom going to church with no jacket. I wondered if the skies reflected the wildfires that are burning in Texas and Colorado.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The outdoor environment matters to me<\/strong>, and I am hopeful that we get it right with what our kids and grandkids and their kids and grandkids need for our sense of responsibility.  That is the future guiding me for today\u2019s decisions of what I buy, recycling, preserving water, what do I choose for minimal chemicals for my lawn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And yet today\u2019s reality is that it\u2019s week 6 of Russia invading Ukraine <\/strong>and causing horrific destruction and slaughtering of innocent people. We have humanitarian issues at our own borders with the South American population looking for safety from their governments.  The weighing of involvement is gut-wrenching for everyone, especially those who are in key decision-making roles. Not always as clear as we might think.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

War can be closer to home within our own families. <\/strong>Politics, vaccinations, masks, even the environment is polarizing.  And the worst war is in our own minds. It\u2019s beyond what will people think and shame. Much of what is driving us is that we\u2019ve learned to love isolation, and we\u2019re scared that our budgets won\u2019t allow us shelter, food, clothing, transportation, our phones because the divide between poor and rich, the gap for equality in employment for women, and minorities widens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the mask we wear is a smile, or \u201cGood\u201d in answer to how are you<\/em> fits into the lie.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I have had to realize my holier-than-thou stance<\/strong> of no meds doesn\u2019t resonate with my friends and family that are finding great relief using anti-depressants.  Especially with the last couple years of the pandemic, we\u2019ve had to learn to live differently and better. I\u2019m sure that\u2019s only one example of me needing to relook at absolutes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is one absolute. <\/strong>The reality is that no one makes it out of this alive. I am seeing that play out within my own business colleagues and community. A lot of sadness.  Knowing that the decisions I make today affect tomorrow and that my tomorrows may be limited to what I think I know. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since I don\u2019t know what I don\u2019t know, <\/strong>I am making today the best day ever with relationships, making music and teaching students how to bring out their inner music, teaching the next generation about health, environment, and giving back and paying it forward while doing good through Shaklee. Every day I get up asking how to make this the best day ever.   If you read through this and have thoughts, please comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s a typical day in Iowa today with glimpses of sunshine, mainly gray, hovering around the mid 40\u2019s and it looks like this week we\u2019ll make out of the drought meter with ample rain.  It felt like freedom going to … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/annbarry.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/annbarry.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/annbarry.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annbarry.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annbarry.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=332"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/annbarry.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":354,"href":"https:\/\/annbarry.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332\/revisions\/354"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/annbarry.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annbarry.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annbarry.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}