Each day of our lives is bounded at both ends by sleep:
It begins when we awake from sleep in the morning;
and it ends 15-19 hours later when our consciousness goes out again.

     Since we are not responding to Existential Freedom in our sleep,
when we awake, we must re-orient ourselves,
we must re-create our life-purposes.
Our projects do not subsist thru the night on their own,
so we must remind ourselves of our fundamental response to Freedom.

     There are, of course, some tasks we must do for our survival,
but if we always put these 'necessary' things first,
we may leave the important things until last—which may mean never.
Perhaps our whole lives will reflect the pattern of each day:
We may spend the major years of our lives on practical things,
while leaving our most important goals and purposes until 'later'.

     Periodically we should evaluate what we are doing:

         Is this activity helping me respond to Existential Freedom?
         Will it help others to be liberated from their Malaise?
         Might there be some better way to undertake this purpose?
         Right now am I responding to Existential Freedom?

When we find that we are doing something (or planning to do something)
that does not resonate with our joy, peace, and fulfillment,
then we can revise our activities (or change our plans),
we can reorganize our day in a more focused and purposeful way.

     Life comes only one day at a time.
How we decide to use each day
is how we decide to use our lives.
If we lose today, we may lose tomorrow as well.
Each moment of evasion or procrastination cancerously claims the next.
In this way, our whole lives may be lost, one day at a time.

     Existential Freedom can never be our secure possession
—something we can store up for future need.
Today we receive only enough for today.
We must renew our response every day and every hour.
If we stop responding, we slip silently back into the river of despair,
which always waits to receive us.

     If today we have lived responsively, we can close our eyes with joy,
allowing sleep to prepare us for another day of living in response to Freedom.
No matter what else happens, if each day is lived responsively
our lives will be completely fulfilled,
fulfilled in the process of living, rather than at the end.

76        OUR EXISTENTIAL PREDICAMENT: LONELINESS, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, & DEATH