When “One Day” Finally Becomes “Day One”

There are 7 days in a week, but ‘someday’ isn’t one of them

Oh yes, I know. We’ve all been there, telling ourselves and sometimes even others about “One Day.” It starts as a fleeting notion or speck of an idea that returns again and again and over time grows into something a little more defined in the mind. You’ve said it, you’ve heard it. It usually goes something like “One day I’m going to learn a new language” or “Someday I’m going to travel to Patagonia” or “One day I’ll start to write that best-selling novel.”

Still, “One Day” evades most of us because “One Day” can only become a reality with action, and action takes effort, and effort is hard. We still have intention, and desire, so the idea lives on as a “someday.” We don’t mean to procrastinate, but more often than not that’s what happens. Time marches on, we grow, we age, and we leave our dreams to stagnate by the side of the road as we maneuver our way along the highways of life. But here’s where we need to be careful because some “One Days” have an expiration date. These could be physical limitations, items with specific age restrictions by law, or perhaps there’s a dependency on another person that’s no longer an option. How sad it would be to have reached a point in your life where you look back only to realize that your most important “one day I will” can now never be anything more than a “what if I had”?

So why now? My impetus came from my friend Alex but he has no idea. I could have left this part out but I want to recognize the inspiration I received from something Alex did last year and how sometimes we don’t even know how our own actions can inspire others.

Alex and I ran in the same circles in high school. He was popular; a cool cat, and just one of those people everyone seemed to like. Good-looking, funny, and a genuinely decent kid; I remember how he laughed easily, and always seemed to wear a smile. I recall his playing on the football team, his fondness for surfing, his skateboarding talents, and his love of rock and roll — particularly AC/DC. Fast forward (decades!) and Alex, cool as ever, is a successful business owner, still plays electric guitar, and is living his best life in a south Florida beach-side paradise. A year ago, Alex posted a picture on Facebook of a beautiful sunrise at the beach. And then the next day another one, and then another the day after that. For the first few weeks of 2021, I thought it was a lovely ritual and one I wished could also be part of my daily routine from time to time. I no longer live by the beach so in some ways as these photos came into my feed, some absolutely breathtaking, others more subdued, they gave me a sense of “home” and I certainly enjoyed them. Sometimes I was compelled to comment on a photo, but more often than not, I would just enjoy them silently as I scrolled on through my Facebook feed. I didn’t see them daily, and I didn’t go look for them. But when one would show up, I always took the time to stop and view it for a few minutes. It’s anyone’s guess as to the wonders of Facebook algorithms, and since it’s often selective as to what pops up into your feed sometimes there would be weeks or more that would pass before I’d see or sunrise pop up in my feed that was posted by Alex. Yet, each time one did, I found myself impressed with Alex’s discipline regarding his sunrise beach walks. The year continued, and so did and the sunrise beach photos! One evening, I saw a post showing Alex’s alarm clock set for 3:30 am as he was preparing for the following day. 3:30 AM! Occasionally I found myself wondering how often Alex was making it to the beach, surely no one would keep that up daily for this long!

Then it was December 30. Up popped a post by Alex letting his Facebook friends know his “Trip Around the Sun 2021” was complete. Alex had made it to the beach to view the sunrise for 360 of the 365 days in 2021! He expressed how his sunrise adventure brought unexpected and wonderful things into his life and of the various ways this journey brought him meaning. He’d published a beautiful photo book of his journey and sold all the copies (ok, so it was a small number of copies but hey- isn’t that neat?). He said he hoped that in some way it brought something good into each of our lives as well. And, in that moment — I knew it had.

If Alex can wake up at 3:30 am daily for an entire year to go to the beach and capture the beauty of the morning sunrise and revel in the wonder of nature, then it’s time for me to stop talking about finding time to START writing ‘someday’ and make time to DO it now. Now, I know myself better than to go so far as to commit publicly to any type of schedule of how often I might write something, but I’m taking step one today. And sometimes that’s all it takes. We will see where the momentum leads me.

One thing’s for sure. I’ve got a lot to say. A whole lot! Some worth hearing and some just rambling to be sure. I’ve toyed with writing, written partial stories or articles, identified plenty of topics, and even jotted down a list of titles — all just waiting to be brought to life here on the page, in black and white. Ideas, storylines, and entire conversations are constantly swirling around in my head and run the gamut from non-fiction to fantasy, real-life experiences encompassing pure joy, and also some hard-won and painful lessons. Sensual, spiritual, curious, erotic, kink, and even the ridiculous — it’s all there waiting to find its voice. So, now is the time to put pen to paper — so to speak.

I’m usually a planner. I should have a plan, but I don’t. I’m just curious to see where the adventure takes me and what will evolve. Am I writing for you or for me? Will it be cathartic? Will it be something I enjoy? Will it turn into something I love or will it feel like work? Will I be brave enough to put it all out there and if I do will I be able to handle the critical commentary that comes back at me? Or wait… maybe it’s even worse to have no claps, no commentary, and no readers at all?

I’ve been active on Medium as a reader for less than a year, but I have noticed a theme, at least among the writers I tend to read most frequently and that is a sense of community, camaraderie, and support for each other. So that in and of itself is enough to help me push aside any fears and jump in.

I have found inspiration from so many of the writers here and have found myself entertained, amused, and educated. I’ve been saddened by some of the stories and trials of the writers as their lives unfold in their stories. And I’ve rooted for them, silently celebrating their wins.

Like most people, I’ve had a number of “One Days” in my life, and each time I get to cross one of them off, I feel pretty darn good about it. Today is one of those days.

And so, it begins. Another “One Day” from my “Someday” list has come to fruition. Now, Let’s see where it goes.

The above was my first story on Medium ever, posted on new years day this year. It’s been abbreviated from this original version (which was not metered behind the paywall).

I’ve been writing for myself, and for fun, just to try something new. I have been pleasantly surprised by the journey (and the few little dollars that trickle into my account!). I’m up to 298 followers as of today and really enjoy watching my stats and seeing the comments and direct messages I get. I have found so many new medium friends and really enjoy so many of the new writers I wouldn’t have come across on my own if I hadn’t started writing myself. If you’ve been reading and enjoying Medium and have been procrastinating on posting your first story — just do it! It’ll be fun!

And, in general if you’ve been procrastinating on something you’ve been wanting to try ‘someday’ — there really is no time like the present! Just do it!