Count That Day Lost By: George Elliot (Mary Ann Evans)

What a meaningful day means to me (Michelle)

A meaningful day for me is a productive one. Productivity can be in any field, housework, schoolwork, playing with the kids, or even just accomplishing a task waiting to be done. I find myself feeling the most fulfilled when I’ve done a lot. Each of us has our purpose in life, and when I am productive, I do my part. Sometimes we don’t realize that even small things we do can impact someone else. The more I work, the more I get stuff done; I feel like I helped the bigger picture.

Although it is not easy to stay productive, I make sure I have little things in my everyday routine to help me feel productive. Every day I start by making my bed. This way, I start my day with a task done. I find a lot of meaning in everyday things. Our routine is what helps us keep on going and working hard. I hope to see meaning daily and in every task I get done. But I also hope to not give up on days that I don’t feel as much meaning.

What a meaningful day means to me (Shifra)

A meaningful day to me is a day where I feel most in touch with myself and my being. Sometimes that day can look like spending time with friends and family, and sometimes that day means finding silence to be alone with my thoughts. A meaningful day doesn’t always feel happy or exciting, but if there’s a deep purpose to it, I should feel the effects of it in the following days. A meaningful day is a day spent re-energising my mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical state.

A meaningful day does not necessarily mean getting lots of tasks done, but it should be a day where I feel relaxed and accomplished by the end. Oftentimes when trying to do many things, we end up needed time to recharge- to me, that doesn’t seem like something meaningful. While the word ‘meaningful’ means something different to each person, I think that anything that drains a person, isn’t something that is internally motivated, and as such, isn’t something worth doing consistently. Having a day full of meaningful can bring so much wonder and newfound energy into a person’s life.

Agree or disagree with the poem (Michelle)

It is hard to say if I agree or disagree with the poem. I agree that every little task can make a day meaningful. But I don’t think any day of ours can be dismissed. Even if we feel our day wasn’t meaningful, we don’t know if we did something that impacted the bigger picture. Sometimes something small that you did not even notice could’ve helped someone else. You might not ever see the effect you had, but it happened. If we dismiss days as not meaningful or a day we don’t even count, we miss our lives larger purpose. We were put on this earth with a purpose, and every action has meaning.

Agree or disagree with the poem (Shifra)

I agree with the premise of George Elliot’s poem, “Count the Day Lost.” In his work he alludes that even one kind action makes a day worthwhile. I think that even if someone doesn’t spend all day doing many tasks, but consciously makes an effort to do one good action, they have made the world a little kinder of a place. That in of itself, is the truest form of meaning.