To affect the quality of the day is the highest of arts.
- HENRY DAVID THOREAU
One must assume that Henry meant affecting the quality of a day positively. It certainly isn't terribly difficult to do it negatively! There isn't much artfulness to a bitter word, a raw scowl, or a reactive rant.
But, the wakeful gaze, the attentive ear, or the grateful expression can change the angle of a moment in time, like a door hinge swinging wide open.
Speaking as one who's done it in younger years, there is an art to changing a day in a specific negative way; but I much prefer the positive!
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