As we tuned in on NYE to watch the New York ball drop, a commercial from Walt Disney Resorts reminded me that 2012 is a leap year. It was a two part commercial. Part one (aired a few minutes prior to the new year) announced that 2012 would be a leap year and that viewers should stay tuned because Disney had a big announcement to make (and, you know, that whole ball drop thing was coming up too). Part two (aired a few minutes into the new year) was the announcement, something about the DisneyWorld and DisneyLand resorts being open 24-hours on February 29, leap day.
The premise of the commercial was “what would you do if you had one more day?” Of course, Disney’s hope with their commercial and subsequent “One More Disney Day” campaign is that if you were given the gift of just one more day, you’d spend it at one of the Disney resorts making magic with your loved ones. While it is highly unlikely that Ted and I will be scrounging together the bucks to spend a day making magic waiting in long-ass lines at Disney this year, the commercial did get me thinking.
“What would I do if I were given just one more day?”
I thought about the things that are most important to me in this life. The list is short and simple: My husband, my family, my friends, love, laughter, adventure, great food, seeing and appreciating all the incredible places and astounding, miraculous beauty the world has to offer, and sharing it all with others. Everything else is filler.
So I dreamed up two scenarios. The first being a limitless, no-holds-barred, time-and-money-are-no-obstacle, leap day of my dreams and the second being a little more realistic of a leap day plan.
Here’s what I came up with:
Dream Leap Day – I’d invite all of my nearest and dearest friends and family and even some random person who has been struggling and could really use a break to vacation with me at some truly wondrous locale (Machu Picchu, the pyramids in Egypt, a castle and gardens in Germany, the baths in Budapest, the Blue Lagoon in Iceland, a private island in the tropics, the snowy igloos and aurora borealis of the Lapland in Sweden, the blue waters of Greece, the vineyards of Italy, the Great Wall of China, a palace in Poland or Russia, the rice fields of Bali…you get where I’m going with this) where we’d dine on an endless smorgasbord of exceptionally divine food and drink, and we’d love and laugh and adventure and explore and spend this one day together, doing something truly magical and appreciating every second of it.
Realistic Leap Day – Since I only work from 2:30-5:00 p.m. on Wednesdays I would treat myself to a little something special that morning – maybe a long mid-day nap, or tea, a cupcake and a good book at a sweet little cafe, or a luxurious massage, or a walk through one of Cincy’s pretty parks. I would call my family just to check in, say hello and tell them that I love them. I would try to give my kids a really fun day at work. I would give some money to that homeless person on the street corner. Then after work I would treat my husband to an awesome dinner out at a little restaurant with phenomenal eats. Perhaps we’d meet some friends afterward for a night out on the town or for some good old fashioned fun – bowling, movie, board or video games, a sporting event, or an evening at the comedy club or even just watching the world go by from the top of Mt. Adams. I would spend time with the people I care about, and treat them to a little something nice if finances allowed, and appreciate one extra day to laugh and love.
This year, that age-old wish of all the things I could do if I had “just one more day” is a reality because we are all being given the gift of one more day. One more day to hold your husband tight. One more day to tell your parents that you appreciate them. One more day to celebrate friendship. One more day for that dream vacation to see the world if you’re that lucky. One more day to help out someone in need. I encourage you all to take just five minutes to think about the things that mean the most to you. If you were given just one more day, how would you spend it? Who would you spend it with? What would you do? What would you treat yourself and others to? What would you appreciate? What have you always wanted to see or do? Would you volunteer to feed the homeless, or finally adopt a pet, or make peace with someone, or spend it doing your favorite hobby?
I know that leap day falls on a Wednesday this year, so most of us will be working and unable to take that day off to spend galavanting at an amusement park, or curled up in the arms of our family, or to embark on that world-class, exotic vacation, but I urge you to think about what you can do with the gift of one more day this year. It doesn’t have to be costly or extravagant. It doesn’t have to require a whole lot of time or effort.
Think of one or two little things you can do to celebrate that one extra day this year, and go out there and be thankful and enjoy it!
What are you going to try to do on February 29?
