Did you have a good day?

I wonder how we ever really answer that question. How do we sort through the moments, like so many puzzle pieces, and label a day “good” or “bad”?

Here are some of mine …

I’m sweating today because our air conditioner is broken. Again. We have to replace the whole darn thing. And we are all dripping and shouting at each other and not sleeping too well in the most humid part of our deep-South summer!

I giggled today on a spontaneous Mommy-son date with my youngest. We went to grab some lunch, and I offered to run him past the drive-through for an ice cream cone afterward. He, knowing I’m lactose intolerant responded, “Mom! This is an outing. The boy is supposed to go with the girl. If the boy goes to get something and the girl can’t get it too, then that’s not really an outing.”

Hilarious. I must be doing something right if my five-year-old is spouting dating etiquette to me even though I’m offering him free ice cream!

I’m limping today because I had another blasted procedure–this time on my foot. This one involves several stages of cutting out chunks of flesh and then pouring bee venom on the wounds to spur my immune system into action. True story.

I swooned a little today as I watched my husband unpack his things after work. Don’t be annoyed! I’m allowed to be mushy on my blog sometimes. And don’t think my marriage is perfect either.

We’ve really been getting on each other’s nerves lately. But today I saw him and I felt all fluttery for a sec. It was cool. Sometimes we need to stop and embrace those moments, I think.

I felt tense today as I navigated a million whiny moments of transition in the name of our blended family. The kids are back, and it always takes a few weeks to get back in the groove of course. Mostly I’m a little weary of hearing, “But we don’t do it that way at Dad’s house.” I’m sure it goes both ways. I’m sure when they’re at Dad’s he gets tired of hearing, “But we don’t do it that way at Mom’s house.” It’s just part and parcel in a blended family, right?

I feel kind of like a broken record, telling them: “Mom’s house and Dad’s house are different, but that doesn’t mean one is right and one is wrong. They are just different. And that’s ok! Both places are awesome for different reasons. Focus on the positive.” Sigh. Smile. Breathe. Repeat.

I smiled today as I thought of my sister … all married now. I do that sometimes. Just smile out of the blue thinking about Becka and Spencer in their little apartment on the other side of town, starting their life together. It’s still a little surreal. And so flipping cool.

I cried today as I watched Jenny Barringer Simpson cross the finish line in Rio. She is the first American woman EVER in history to medal in the 1500-meter final.

I watched her close the gap in the final stretch with that tenacity I know so well, the superhuman kind that precedes flags draped over tear-stained, sweaty shoulders. I remember all too well that same focused look on her face as she ran in high school and tickled the ivories as one of my very first piano students.

Jenny is a rock star in every way.

So …

Jenny had a good day! Right? A day that will go down in history.

But what about me?

Did I have a good day?

What about all these puzzle pieces? What do all these moments add up to?

I’m sweating, giggling, limping, swooning, tense, smiling, crying … and there are so many other moments mixed in between. Good and bad. Angry and happy.

At the end of the day, I guess it depends on where we put our focus.

What about you?

How do you define a day?