For many years I’ve kept a journal, a diary of sorts. My intent in keeping this journal is to record the deeper things that I’m aware throughout each day; but mostly what I end up actually writing down is a simple chronology of my day, a daybook, a bare, no-frills, recounting of what I did from hour to hour.
 
When I go back and read an account of what I did each day, I’m always amazed as how rich and full life was on those days, except that I wasn’t much aware of it at the time. While actually living through those days, mostly I was struggling to get my work done, to stay healthy, to meet expectations, to carve out some moments of friendship and recreation amidst the pressures of the day, and to get to bed at a reasonable hour. There wasn’t a lot of soul there, just a lot of routine, work, and hurry.
 
Most of us, I suspect, live most of our days not very aware of how rich our lives are, forever leaving our souls behind.
 
We’ve all read accounts wherein someone shares what he or she would do differently if he or she had life to live over again. Mostly these stories rework the same motif:  Given another chance, I would try to enjoy it more the next time, that is, I would try to keep my soul more-present and more-aware.
 
We tend to take life, health, energy, and work for granted, until they are taken away from us. Only after the fact do we realize how rich our life has been and how little of those riches we drank in at the time.
 
Early on in his priesthood, when Pope Francis was in charge of school, he would at a certain point each day have the public address system cut in and interrupt the work that was going on in each classroom with this announcement:  Be grateful. Set your horizon. Take stock of your day.
 
We all need, regularly, to lay down our burdens for a minute so our souls can catch up with us.
 
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