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His first words to me during our last phone conversation were "It's a beautiful day out there!" He meant it and he said it with excitement and pleasure in his voice. This was common for him.

How many people do you talk to in a day that start their conversations with such positivity and zest for life?

Lots of people don't even notice a beautiful day. They let all the days blend together, or only voice an opinion or affirmation of the dreary ones.

When you actually take the time to notice, there are lots and lots of beautiful days.

I know that because I take the time to consciously look outside and notice now, pretty much every day.

I say it out loud to my kids. And you know what? When it is a beautiful day, it makes the day feel even a little more beautiful just by saying it.

In the past I may have noticed and felt a beautiful day, but not said it out loud. Of course a common theme on this blog is voicing how you feel, and this is another example of how it can make life brighter.

While we are on the beautiful day topic......

One day, a looooooong time ago, Joe brought home a U2 cd. This was out of the ordinary for him because although he didn't dislike U2, he also didn't have any of their other cds and it was a different genre than his normal music. He unwrapped it as he was walking into the house and put it in the stereo. He clicked to the song for which he bought the cd and turned it up. I smiled then to hear it, just as it makes me smile now. Guess what it was?

Beautiful Day

A beautiful, upbeat song by the way. It's about a man that has lost "everything" but finds joy in what he still has. It is a song that I've never had a hard time listening to since Joe died, in fact, I like it. I think its kind of funny that he liked the song...probably the most pop-ish type song I ever knew him to actually purchase....that's what makes it special....it was the song's message that he was drawn to.

It's a song that I would definitely consider if I were going to make a soundtrack of his life. The feel of it fits his personality to a tee. Though of course, Joe never lost everything. In life that is. He was a successful soul in so many areas.

And it's no accident that successful people notice the beautiful days.

Next time you hear that song, think of my husband.

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away...."
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