I Love Today

Have you ever encountered a song, movie, book, or other form of art that stopped you in your tracks and you couldn’t get out of your head and heart? That happened to me this week with a song called “I Love Today”, written by singer, songwriter, and artist Kim Kalesti. As they say, “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry” – Robert Burns. I had planned other topics to write about this week, but I encountered this simple yet poignant song. It touched my heart so much; I couldn’t resist making it front and center for my story today.

This week, for my husband’s birthday, we went to the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. to see Audra McDonald in concert. It was both of our first times seeing her in concert, and she was phenomenal! Very few artists can take the stage in a cavernous performance hall and turn it into an intimate cabaret like experience with the audience. But that is exactly what Audra did in her performance, singing her way through the great American songbook and adding a few surprises here and there.

One of those beautiful surprises was the song, “I Love Today”, written by Kim Kalesti (Kalesti, 2024). Audra recounted in her concert how she came about the song and songwriter through their daughters. Audra’s daughter is a big fan of singer Emily King, who is the daughter of Kim Kalesti. Audra saw a video of Kim and Emily (mother and daughter) singing the song together, and she reached out asking them if she could sing it in her concerts. Again, it is a simple yet powerful song that encourages living in the now, being grateful, and showing love for today, in all of its flaws, messiness, sunshine and rain. The lyrics of the song remind me of snapshots in time where I’ve truly embraced the lyric “I Love Today.”

I recall from my teenage years, one summer day when I drove mama, daddy, and my sister up into the North Georgia mountains to go fishing on a lake. It wasn’t any particularly special day or occasion, but the memory stands out to me as a day I loved. Mama was laughing in the backseat while also chiding me to slow down around the mountain switchback curves as she was getting carsick. We drove down this dirt road off the side of a mountain to a crystal-clear lake nestled up against the slopes. I don’t even remember if we caught many fish that day. All I remember is that we were together as a family, and that was all I needed to say, “I love today.”

I had similar days like that with Daddy while just the two of us were trout fishing in the North Georgia mountain rivers and streams. Another example were days when my Aunt Carolyn would take me along with her for a Sunday drive in the country in her big boat-sized Mercury Marquis or Ford Crown Victoria sedans. I would sit up front beside her in the plush bench seats, with country music blaring out of the car stereo or 8-track tape player as we drove down backroads and dirt roads through farmlands in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains near the Chattahoochee River. More currently, I remember days like those when my husband and I spend an unplanned afternoon walking along the historic streets of Old Town Alexandria Virginia and the harbor and trails alongside the Potomac River. Then, we sometimes drove over to National Harbor Maryland to the MGM Resort to watch the sunset over the Potomac River from the outdoor balcony and park.

Those all are simple memorable days that I loved and still love. I remember feeling that same sentiment from the song in each of those days. I was fully present in the moment and loving it regardless of what else was going on at the time.  The song reminds me to be grateful for each moment and each day and to be fully present and mindful. We all have bad days, and as I mentioned in my health journey post today, I’m reminded of the quote from one of my favorite guest characters on the TV show Designing Women, Miss Minnie, a centenarian, “Everybody has troubles, and as the saying goes: ain’t nobody nowhere living no dream life” (Bloodworth-Thomason, 1990). But this beautiful song, “I Love Today” reminds us that in the midst of good times and bad, we can still find a reason and time to say, “I Love Today.” I’ve linked the videos for the song from the songwriter’s YouTube below (Kalesti, 2024). Check it out and celebrate the beauty that is this song and the talented artist who created it.  

As always, I challenge you to think about your own stories and when you’ve had similar days. Listen to the song, and I hope you find the same blessings in it that I did. Wishing everyone an awesome weekend and remember to love today.

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