Today I Feel Good

Note to self: read this on a bad day. Today I feel good. Nothing big happened, really; I woke up early and felt rested. The tea was just right. I talked on the phone with a friend for far too long and we laughed. Someone let me go first on the road. The evening light fell into the kitchen in such a way that I stopped for a moment and looked. None of my troubles are over, but today none of them pressed down on me. I'm writing this because I always forget the good days and memorize the bad ones.

Today I read about Solomon. A king with his armies of jinn, men and birds gathered before him. Right in the middle of all that splendor, he listens to the voice of an ant: 'O ants, enter your dwellings that you not be crushed by Solomon and his soldiers while they perceive not.' And the Quran says Solomon 'smiled, amused at her speech.' A prophet smiling at the words of an ant. Then he immediately turns that smile into a prayer: 'My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to do righteousness of which You approve.'

So a good moment can become worship too. Gratitude isn't only the 'thank God' we say when we escape a great hardship; it's noticing an ordinary day that went well and being able to say, 'this too was from You.' Solomon's prayer includes his parents; if I'm well today, those who poured effort into me and prayed for me have a share in it too. Future me: if you're reading this note on a bad day, remember that there were good days, and there will be again. And if today is good for you too, write three lines and put them somewhere safe.