“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! You don’t want to miss it! Seriously! It will never happen again in your lifetime!”
Have you ever heard that kind of advertisement?
As I’m typing this on Presidents Day, I’m thinking of sales on Presidents Day, Labor Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Black Friday, Cyber Monday …
Incredible deals that you will never see again.
Until the next time.
There’s something about a limited time, limited availability opportunity that marketers use to trigger action on the part of potential customers.
Our FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) kicks in with that special call to action.
There is a day coming tomorrow (it will be past by the time some of you read this, but stay with me) that is seriously, literally, most assuredly, without exaggeration a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Tomorrow, February 22, 2022 can be written as 2/22/22. The last time a date could be written that was was January 11, 1911. I suppose it’s possible that someone was around on that date 111 years ago, but it would be extremely rare.
I suppose it is also possible that someone will still be here 100 years from now on February 22, 2122, but that will again be extremely rare.
For most people, it is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Now if we’re talking about all the digits being the same (1/11/1111 or 2/22/2222) that is a once-in-a-millennia experience. No chance for anyone to see two of those.
If we want to get completely ridiculous with this (assuming we haven’t already crossed that threshold), we can have an even more precise once-in-a-lifetime experience at 2:22 a.m. on 2/22/22.
If we use the twelve hour clock, we get another one at 2:22 p.m. How many in a lifetime now?
Two (2).
And all this in happening on Tuesday, so let’s just go with a pronunciation of Twosday.
Now just to completely cross over into ridiculous land, wouldn’t it be cool if a baby were born at either of those 2:22s tomorrow on Twosday 2/22/22!
That child would be really special.
Just like every other child.
Because, if we’re really being honest, Twosday 2/22/22 is no more special than any other day.
It’s an interesting momentary distraction, but what truly makes tomorrow special is the same thing that makes any other day special—what we choose to do with it.
There are 365 special days each year (one extra every leap year) on which babies are born, couples are married, milestones are reached, projects are launched, first homes are purchased, and memories are made.
Those 365 days are also difficult because loved ones die, marriages end, jobs are lost, hearts are broken, and projects fail.
This is the nature of life—laughter and tears, joy and sorrow, health and sickness, success and failure.
And many of those are no more within our control than the calendar is.
But what IS within our control is what we choose to do with those days and the experiences they contain.
Early this morning I read Psalm 52:8-9:
“I will always trust in God’s unfailing love. I will praise you forever, O God, for what you have done. I will trust in your good name in the presence of your faithful people.”
That’s a choice we can make every day.
Be amazing today, my friend.
