Making Magic on a Wednesday

A few weekends ago, I was at brunch with a group of fellow counselors. You know the type—people who can’t resist turning every casual conversation into an existential deep dive over eggs Benedict. Somewhere between the first cup of coffee and the inevitable debate about whether brunch really needs to include both breakfast and lunch foods, the topic of bucket lists came up.

“My dream is a trip to Italy,” my friend Shara announced, swirling her mimosa like she was already in Tuscany.

“Ooh, good one,” another friend said. “I’d love to go on an African safari.”

The table came alive with ideas—skydiving, running a marathon, publishing a novel. And then someone turned to me.

“What about you? What’s on your bucket list?”

I opened my mouth to answer but realized… I had no idea.

Later that evening, I kept turning the question over in my mind. What was on my bucket list? I mean, sure, travel sounds amazing, and there are definitely experiences I’d love to have. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that my real bucket list wasn’t about those big, cinematic moments.

It was about Wednesdays.

The Magic of the Ordinary

Life gives us exclamation points—the big, bold days that we mark in our memories.

“It’s a girl!”

“I got the job!”

“She said yes!”

And of course, there are the days that break our hearts. The call that didn’t come. The door that closed. The goodbye we weren’t ready for.

But most days? Most days are just… Wednesday.

You wake up, you make eggs, you drink your coffee. You answer emails. You water the plant that you keep forgetting exists. You decide, once again, that today will be the day you finally start going to the gym.

It’s easy to think that real life exists only in the extremes—the thrilling highs, the gut-wrenching lows. But I’ve decided that what I really want, more than anything, is to make my Wednesdays magic. I want to treasure the everyday moments, the in-between times, the “nothing special” days that actually make up most of our lives.

That’s my bucket list.

How to Find Joy in the Everyday

So how do we make ordinary days extraordinary? Here are four ways to start:

1. Romanticize Your Routine

Instead of rushing through your morning like it’s a chore, turn it into a ritual. Light a candle while you drink your coffee. Put on music while you cook. Use the “good” dishes on a random Tuesday. Little touches can transform the mundane into something beautiful.

2. Notice the Small Moments

Most of life’s best moments aren’t grand—they’re quiet. The way the sunlight spills onto the floor in the morning. The unexpected laughter in a conversation. The first sip of coffee when it’s exactly the right temperature. Start paying attention.

3. Create Tiny Traditions

We think of traditions as holiday things, but what if we made them a part of everyday life? Taco Tuesday. Evening walks. A handwritten note tucked into your partner’s bag. Small, consistent joys turn life into something to look forward to.

4. Give the Ordinary a Story

Instead of dismissing your routine as “just another day,” imagine it as a chapter in a novel. You aren’t just doing dishes—you’re a character in a story, finding meaning in the moment. Reframing your daily life this way can shift your perspective and make even the most ordinary tasks feel special.

Life Is Happening Now

I’m not saying the big, bucket-list moments don’t matter. They do. But if we spend our lives waiting for the big things, we miss the quiet magic of the small ones.

So, what’s on your bucket list?

Maybe it’s time to put “making Wednesdays magical” right at the top.