My Life In A Day – July 25, 2020

I woke up at 5 AM today feeling excited to film my Life in a Day.

I know you’d ask, so let me tell you a little bit about what this Life in a Day thing is.

For the past couple of days, I’ve been seeing this Life in a Day video and invite on YouTube, and I never thought of participating in it until I accidentally clicked the video last night.

So what is this all about?

This Life in a Day is a historic documentary film to capture a single day on Earth. Legendary producer Ridley Scott and Academy Award® winner Kevin Macdonald have been inviting everyone anywhere in the world to participate by filming their day today, July 25, 2020, and by submitting their footage here for a chance to be part of the final film.

So I read the details, I watched the videos, and I found out they had a similar film in 2010 about Life In A Day. After I watched the 2010 movie last night, I got inspired and I decided to join the Life In A Day 2020.

I’ve never done anything like this before so it’s quite a big challenge for me to do this, but I’ll try.

Before I went to bed, I prepped my smartphone and lapel mic and I made sure I have enough storage for new videos.

This is how my day started…

Today is July 25, 2020, and I woke up at exactly 5 o’clock in the morning.

I’m used to waking up at 5 AM even without an alarm clock. But last night, I made sure I turned on the alarm on my cellphone so that I could start filming my Life In A Day first thing in the morning.

As soon I opened my eyes, I thanked God for waking me up and for this brand new day. I asked God to guide me all through the day and to protect my loved ones. I grabbed my gratitude rock and say the things I’m grateful for. Then, I kissed my daughter who’s still sleeping, I turned off the AC, turned on the fan, opened the windows, looked and visualized my goals on my vision board, and walked out of the bedroom. I kissed my husband who’s working on his computer in the living room, then I went to the bathroom to pee and wash my face. I changed my shirt, prepped my tea, and grabbed my bag with my notebooks and pens, and I went upstairs.

This has been my morning routine during the last 6 months and I did not change or tweak anything just to look good or to prove something as I participate in the Life in a Day project. I just wanted to literally and authentically share my life in a day.

At 5:30 AM, I was already in the garden at the terrace, checking and talking to my plants, looking at the beautiful view of the sky, and listening to the birds singing and and the roosters crowing. I spent the next few minutes just being quiet – thinking and feeling grateful for everything that I see, hear, and feel. Everyday, at this same spot in the garden, I say this prayer from Psalm 143:8,

Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life.

I love declaring these verses first thing in the morning because it gives me a sense of peace and freedom.

I then read the bible and my devotional book, and I wrote in my journal. I usually spend 10 minutes reading my devotional, 30 minutes reading the bible, and 20 minutes writing in my journal. Sometimes, I get carried away writing on my journal without noticing the time.

I don’t usually bring my cellphone when I do my morning routine to avoid distractions, but I brought it today to film my day. While I was filming, my messenger popped up and I received an important message from my brother in Qatar…

His wife, who is currently 6 months pregnant, was rushed to the hospital due to heavy bleeding. He asked me to pray for his wife and their baby.

I spent the next three hours praying for them, exchanging messages with my brother and sister-in-law, and our family members on our private FB group, and asking prayers from my Dgroup members and churchmates.

This was not the kind of day that I was expecting.

Checking my messenger and sending messages were never a part of my morning routine until today. But here I am, stuck on my phone, trying to keep my brother calm as we offer prayers for his wife and baby who are both fighting for their lives at the ICU.

Moments later, my brother told us that their baby is out, but… the placenta was trapped in his mother’s body and she will have to undergo an operation…

Everything seemed to happen so fast and it’s been an emotional roller coaster for our family.

We’re thankful and happy that my sister-in-law gave birth to her baby via normal delivery, but we’re worried because she’s still in an unstable condition. My brother was not yet allowed to go inside the delivery room to see his wife, and to the NICU to see their premature baby and to know his condition.

We’re also worried because they have no other family or relatives in Qatar to help them, and the risk of getting infected with the Covid-19 disease in the hospital is quite high.

As we seemed to be bothered and worried by these unforeseen events, I was reminded by God to be still, to not worry, and to remember that He is in control. In Psalm 46:10, he says,

Be still, and know that I am God.

I felt relieved. I shared the verse to my brother and I told him that we are praying for them and with them, and there’s nothing to worry about because God knows everything and He is in control.

An hour later, my brother told me that the placenta was successfully removed from his wife’s uterus without having to undergo the operation. Praise the Lord! Thank you Jesus!

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28

Update: My sister-in-law was discharged from the hospital on July 26, just a day after she gave birth but her baby will have to stay at the NICU for a month or so until he’s ready be taken home by his parents. They found an issue in my sister-in-law’s ovary which caused her preterm delivery, and she might have to undergo a surgery, but she was advised to stay at home and recover in the meantime to avoid the risk of the Covid-19 disease at the hospital.

We continue to pray for Baby Elijah and for the fast recovery of my sister-in-law.

AFTERNOON UPDATE

It’s already 1 PM. We just had our lunch and I’m back in my desk upstairs to write this blog post.

It may not have been the kind of day that I planned and expected to happen, but who am I to complain? I believe that everything is ordered by the Lord and He has a reason for everything that He allows to happen.

We may make our plans, but God has the last word. – Proverbs 16:1

At 3:30 PM, I took a break from writing this blog post. I bathed Macey and put her to sleep. I tried to take a nap, but the relaxing sound of the rain kept me awake so I just went upstairs and I spent the next two hours watching the rain. Then, I grabbed the book that I’ve been reading this week and I read a few pages.

EVENING UPDATE

At 6:30 PM, we ate dinner with the family at home.

At 7:00 PM, I was supposed to run on the treadmill, but I was bothered with all the mess in Macey’s room so I decided to just clean it up. I’ve been putting this task off for the past few days because I’ve been busy with my blog project, but now I felt that I really need to get it done. I spent the next 3 hours cleaning up the room – arranging her toys, books, art materials, clothes, everything. I maximized my time cleaning the room and listening to motivational teachings on YouTube.

I finished cleaning Macey’s room at 10 PM. It was so tiring and fulfilling at the same time. Not only did I accomplish my task, I also fed my mind with positive thoughts and helpful lessons.

At 10 PM, I let Macey read her books while I was giving a relaxing back massage for Mom. After I took a shower, Macey and I continued reading, then we prayed and declared our goals on our vision boards, and we went to bed at 11:30 PM.

That’s how the 25th of July 2020 went for me, and that was MY LIFE IN A DAY.

I started the day right waking up at 5 and doing my morning routine, but something unexpected came up and it affected my plans for the day. I was supposed to do yoga and exercise in the morning, but I was not able to do it because I got busy chatting with my family online. I was supposed to work in the garden to plant some seeds, add organic fertilizers to the soil, and transfer some plants to bigger pots, but I was not able to do it because it rained heavily and I could not go outside. We usually go to bed at 10 PM but because I got busy cleaning, we went to sleep late today…

All these things reminded me of Proverbs 19:21 that

Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.

It may not have been my ideal day, but I’m still very grateful to God for everything that happened today. Everyday is a gift and there’s always something to be grateful for no matter what…

Final Thoughts

Participating in the Life In A Day is an eye-opener for me and it makes me realize that we have the same 24 hours in a day.

There is no difference in the time we get each day. Every single one of us has 24 hours or 1,440 minutes. What matters is what we do with that time.

Everything is about choices. Some people choose to make money, others choose to spend time with their family and some choose to do not much of anything at all.

Are you making the minutes and moments count? Or are you frittering away time?

Imagine this is your last 24 hours. What will you do? How would you feel? What will you say to the most important people in your life?

OK, luckily it’s not your last 24 hours. But that doesn’t mean you should treat time as disposable or take for granted there will always be more of it.

So if we all have the same 24 hours, but you feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day, then time to know what’s important to you.

Do you really know what’s important to you?

If you don’t know what’s most important to you, it’s time to figure it out. Don’t waste another day floundering in inertia and confusion about what kind of life you want. And you simply can’t focus your attention, time, and energy on what’s important to you if you don’t know what that is.

Life is short

In Proverbs 90:10, we are reminded of how short life is. It says,

Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away. 

English novelist Rose Tremain also said,

Life is not a dress rehearsal.

It’s a great reminder that in the grander scheme of things, there are no second chances and we only get one shot at it. We only have a limited period of time on earth and we’re not practicing for something else. This IS the main event.

Are you actually prioritizing what’s most important to you?

Look at how you spend your time, because how you spend your time is a reflection of your priorities.

You may want to say, Yeah, but… and talk about extenuating this or temporary that… or other excuses. But the truth remains: What you spend your time on is what you’re making a priority.

Your choices and your priorities matter

What you choose first and second and third matters. How you spend your attention, time, and energy matters.

Going to the office early every morning, working late every night, and coming home when your kids are already sleeping is a reflection of your priorities. Even a stay-at-home mom like me forget my priorities when I get busy with work. Sometimes, I feel guilty that I don’t spend much time with Macey.

That’s not a judgment, just a fact. I’m not encouraging you to quit your job or turn your back on your responsibilities. What I am saying is that how you spend your time is a very clear reflection of what’s important to you. Imagine it like a reflection in a mirror. Do you like what you see?

Instead of wishing for more than 24 hours in a day, let’s be grateful for the hours we have and use them wisely, with intention, aligned with what matters most.

In these two versions of Proverbs 90:12, let us ask God to

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom. (NLT)

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. (NIV)

No matter what you make of your day, remember that you have the choice to make it your best day ever and you have what it takes to be the best that God created you to be.

God bless you!