Best Day Evaa

My three-year-old granddaughter recently told me in a British accent, “Papa Dave, this is the best day evaa.” Turns out she watches a cartoon about a pink pig named Peppa who is British and says this all the time. Who knew we would get a great start to 2019 from a pink pig, British at that? But I think you and I need to make a conscious decision that this year will be “The Best Year Evaa.”

I read somewhere that we are “happiest” when things are better. Meaning, the lower our expectations, the more likely we are to be happy in the moment. The party you dreaded turned out to be fun . . . happy. Your old car never starts, but today it did twice . . . happy. Your over-planned, over-spent vacation rains out . . . unhappy. So, the secret to happiness is to lower your expectations? Well maybe, but that seems silly.

When you don’t have much, it’s easy to be happy with the smallest of things. When I was around eight years old, my parents must’ve gotten a bonus check because they took us to the State Fair at the old Fair Park off Nolensville Road. We ate caramel corn and got that blue face from so much cotton candy. Then we almost threw it all up riding rides until we were exhausted.

I remember when we got to the Fair, my Dad told us to ride as much as we wanted, no limits. Since my parents paid for each and every ride, we thought they must have struck gold in our basement. At the end of the night, I was simultaneously hopped up on sugar, exhausted from riding every ride they would let me on over and over, and generally exhilarated from so much fun. I remember looking at my parents and telling them this was the best day of my life. No pink pigs to teach me a British accent. Little did I know that my life would get much better and much worse and much better.

So, this year, I’m planning my Best Year Evaa. And I want you to have your Best Year Evaa. How are we going to do that? Squeeze every drop. Every sunrise, every sunset. And dream of winning again. Get out of debt, invest in your marriage, start back to church, lose some weight, change jobs, get a puppy, but do something on purpose that takes you higher.

We all get beat down, and we all get beat up. That can cause us to forget to dream or to put our big dreams in the underwear drawer where they are forgotten. Then we become just a rat in a wheel. Look up and decide to get off the wheel. Do something different so you get something different. Zig Ziglar used to say a rut is just a grave with both the ends kicked out, so get out of the rut.

I meet folks from every possible background who made a simple decision deep in their gut to change their life. They push and pull and scratch and claw and hustle and grind . . . then the magic happens . . . they change their life! And you can do this, too! You got this!

I don’t know how great last year was or how horrible it was . . . but you and I are going to decide together to do the work, do the praying, do the reading, do the exercise, do the budget, do the pause and enjoy, do the hugs, do the smiles, do whatever wherever whenever it takes to make 2019 the Best Year Evaa!