Thursday, May 24, 2007

Perfect Day


With morale within hospitals hitting rock bottom, and Patricia Hewitt remaining in post, all be it, for now.... I thought I'd write about the future and 'The Perfect Day Exercise' to lighten the tone.

Lou Reed (1972) wrote a song about his perfect day “Just a perfect day, Drink Sangria in the park, And then later when it gets dark we go home, Just a perfect day, Feed animals in the zoo, then later, a movie too, And then home”. If you don’t have a clear idea about your goals, then life can become a bit aimless. The ‘perfect day’ exercise asks you to consider what is your perfect day?

So, sit down and let your imaginative and creative juices overflow. In your perfect day you have a metaphorical blank cheque, so you could be anything and go anywhere in the entire world. The key is that it is your perfect day, nobody else’s and there are absolutely no wrong answers. Everyone will have a different perfect day, but you are not just thinking of a good day, but your perfect day, completely and utterly the best day ever. You should try and think about this day in as much detail as possible. The questions below may help you crystallise your perfect day:
What time would you get up in the morning?
Do you wake up alone?
What do you have for breakfast?
Would you have breakfast at Tiffany’s?
Where would you be?
What do you do after breakfast?
How long is breakfast for?

Then go through the day in as much detail as you possibly can. Some people may say that they are flying on Concord to pick up an award, others relaxing with their families whilst others might be catching their perfect wave. It is unique to you and can be as outrageous as you like. It is nobody else’s day. It’s important that before you read tomorrow's blog, you have a very detailed plan of your perfect day.

10 comments:

simon said...

My perfect day? Paris. A walk or bike ride. Then to share real cheese, bread and a glass of wine. A view of the Eiffel tower through the lounge room window and to laugh with a friend at somthing really stupid.

Instead i flew back to Australia. :o(

Eliza said...

hi, i like this idea, i hope you don't mind i used it for my post for the day... have a lovely weekend!

Ian Lidster said...

We get into the rental car in darkness, just as the sun's glow is showing over the seascape, and we drive north and then west, through palms, farms, cane-fields, Norfolk Island pines and so much more flora and then we reach the downslope into the Hanalei Valley (whence lives Puff the Magic Dragon) and drive the winding jungle road with its one lane bridges until we reach our magic place known as Tunnels Beach. The sun is fully up now and the azure waters of the lagon invite us to come and snorkel amidst the fish and turtles. My idea of paradise, Michelle.
Oh, and the fact you are a Lou Reed fan speaks hugely well of you.
Ian

David Anthony said...

Well, I have my plan but I'm not sharing. ;)

QUASAR9 said...

What time would you get up in the morning?

I wake-up with the 'sunlight' though I don't necessarily get-up at five in the morning

Do you wake up alone?

Are you being nosey, or is that a chat up line - lol!

What do you have for breakfast?

Whoever I wake-up with.
No, only kidding. I like coffee or fresh tea. But if I'm ravenous I like a Colombian breakfast with 'huevos perico'


Would you have breakfast at Tiffany’s?

Only if it's with you
With champagne & pearls!


Where would you be?

huh? You mean where would my favourite breakfast be, in a villa by the river or the sea (beach) or a cabin in the mountains

What do you do after breakfast?

Give honey a kiss, bye darling gotta go - or if its a weekend maybe jump back into bed for a bit, or off for a country walk

How long is breakfast for?

As loooong as you'd like it to be.

Did I forget a shower among all this. Sometimes before sometimes after break-fast, depending which way we go!

Dr Michelle Tempest said...

Simon, Ian and Quasar9 - thanks for sharing some thoughts about 'prefect days'. I hope you all enjoy the post today, about how this exercise can align the conscious and unconscious.
Eliza - I'd be delighted and I also hope you have a lovely weekend.
Thanks David for your comments.
Thanks to all who read this post and I hope 'the perfect day exercise' has been fun and helpful.
Thanks
Michelle

Jeremy Jacobs said...

For most people, just waking up in a healthy body should be enough.

Anonymous said...

I could enjoy Simon's perfect day too!

It's always the company you are with that makes a day very special.

Let's hope your day is made even more perfect soon with a new Health Secretary.

Liz Hinds said...

Bother, I read the next post first! Still I will think about it. After our exercise class, when we do the relaxation bit and the teacher says, 'Now picture going where you want, with whom you want ...', I always end up round the cliffs with my dog. Much as I love Husband I like my own company too.

Ju's little sister said...

I'm sorry, but as an engineer I have to get a little technical - the blank cheque I can understand, but how about the laws of nature? I would like to spend the morning riding in the warm summer sun, but the evening ice skating on the local pond...

Not technically possible, but would definitely be perfect....