Why today was great, even when I wasn’t at my best (and why everyday is a great day for a great day)

Posted by OLD MAN WHO BETS on

Today I had no bets.
I’m sure there were spots to bet,
juicy data points begging to regress,
areas that the savvy sports bettor would pinpoint, exploit, and profit.

But I wasn’t at my best.
I took the day off from the grind.
I looked at no lines, no data, no sports.

I felt like I needed to recharge.
Great day for a great day.
 
Things have been going well lately.
At the macro, my eyes opened this morning.
My heart keeps beating, my lungs breathing.
 
I have a roof over my head. I am employed.
I have a strong support group around me,
a group of people I work to support as well.
 
Even as such, today wasn’t my best.
I woke up anxious and stressed without anything specific to attribute either to.
Isn’t that sometimes the worst?
I hadn’t exercised in a few days, maybe that was it.
I had drank more this past weekend than in recent weeks, maybe that was it.
My room was cluttered, maybe that was it.
I had a few big deliverables at work approaching, maybe that was it.
Maybe I was just off, and none of that was it.
 
Everyday we make a series of decisions that are seemingly insignificant,
but they build and they build.
Small wins stacked on small wins cascade into significant progress.
Small losses stacked on small losses can create significant regression.
 
Great days come in many shapes and sizes.
Perspective is continuously a driving force.
Reflection is healthy; healing is paramount.
 
Why was today a great day, even without sweeping a board, raking in profits, or doing anything seemingly worth noting?
 
I listened to what I needed.
 
I got out for a jog - far slower than I have been pacing at, far shorter than the distances I’ve been pushing. And I felt better.
 
By coincidence, a few old friends hit me up sharing memories from our early work years. And I felt better.
 
I ate a healthy lunch; I listened to a few albums that have always improved my mood; I upped my hydration; I took one work task at a time. And I felt better.
 
Today was mundane. Today was ordinary. Today is not a day I’ll look back on in twenty years and boast about, or frankly even remember. But today was a day I cared about me, and I felt better because of it.
 
Work to find happiness.
Things will get better.
It will be okay.
 
Great day for a great day.