If I were to ask if one day could change an entire life most people would say absolutely. A single day can alter the course of everything. I guess the real question is what is it about that one day that is more important than the days that came before it? Is it actually more important or just more immediate? I suppose in some cases there may not be much of a difference.
When people think about a single day being the cause of something life-altering it tends to be something drastic or even catastrophic. A car accident. The birth of a child. The death of a loved one. Events like that are glaring examples of great change, or at least the potential for change. Although when I think about it the birth of a child or a wedding may seem like the day where things changed permanently, but really there were several days that led to those moments. That day is important. However, is it really any more important than the days that came before it? A child doesn't just appear and in most cases a wedding is the culmination of a relationship. I'm going to go ahead and skip past anything to do with Vegas because that's really missing the point I'm referring to. In some cases people make a conscious effort to start trying to have a child. For some it's a surprising accident. Either way there is a moment when it's realized that another life is growing inside. One could argue that's really the day when everything changes. The day the child comes out just solidifies it. The same thing with a marriage. Hopefully before the actual ceremony there is an established relationship and the day is really just recognizing that fact with others. The day after the wedding would probably feel slightly different because they are married, but in a lot of cases these days the two people probably already lived together so the real change comes from making it "official". While the day is important, one has to wonder if it's really everything that came before it that is the cause of the change.
Often times it's the small, seemingly unimportant days that are when real changes come. Do we even notice the days when things make that turn? Not all change comes from drastic events. Sometimes it's a single thought or idea that comes along on some idle Tuesday that is the beginning of everything. I remember in high school seeing a girl that I hadn't noticed before. Well I had known she was there, but it almost didn't register. Then one day, out of the blue, I was suddenly very interested in her. I wish I could remember that precise moment when it dawned on me that I was attracted to her. Instead it's more of a general idea that something had changed for me. It wasn't until a few weeks later when I asked her out almost in passing that it became more than just an idea. When we were first dating it was fun enough and I wanted to keep seeing her when I could. Again I don't remember the precise moment when my feelings when from infatuation to something more. I'm not even sure there was an exact moment. Maybe it was just what the whole thing was building towards and it was more an eventuality than anything else. When the actual moment happened was less important than the fact that it happened at all. With things like emotions it's really hard to rationalize why things happen or even pinpoint specifics.
Have you ever had a day that changed the course of your life? It doesn't have to be the day someone died or someone was born, although I'm guessing in those situations it did alter your life to some degree. I guess technically speaking since life is always in motion then every day is changing it. As I mentioned, it's those little moments that accumulate to a point where they cascade down in an overwhelming change we simply can't avoid. So aside from those days, where it's painfully obvious that there was something overt going on, have you had a day that was the start of everything? I wonder if days like that have precursors that let you know something is coming or if it just blindsides you when you least expect it. Maybe we don't know a day is going to change our life until it turns into yesterday.
