After spending 12 extraordinary days in Italy with my tour group, the time came all too soon when we had to go to the airport to fly home.

As we patiently worked our way through airport security lines, two of my fellow travelers said: "Well, after being immersed in all that beauty now we have to return home to ordinary days."I just smiled, thinking that there is no such thing as "an ordinary day."Yes, Italy had so much beauty in every city and every town. Everywhere we turned there was something special to see, with one delight after another.When I got home, I still had one delight after another, just as I knew I would.When we are gone from home for a while, we look with new eyes and fresh appreciation at the place we call "home."We can travel all over the world and enjoy every minute. But the place where we can best relax is home.That's just one of the reasons why we call it "home sweet home."After being on the go every minute of the day and night trying to cram as much as we could into our trip, it was nice to come home and just do nothing.Well, I wouldn't call it "nothing" because was a joy to experience the everyday delights of life, just as it always is for me.The older I get, the more I tune in to the wonders of every so called "ordinary" day, and the more I know there is nothing "ordinary" about a routine day.Going outside to pick up the morning papers is always a quiet time I appreciate as I welcome and give thanks for the gift of another day.It may sound like a cliché but being able to greet each new day is like getting a gift the gift of this wonderful thing we call life.During my first quiet early morning hour I spend a few minutes in a prayer of thanksgiving for all I see before me. Before I start my daily routine, I like to feel each new day with all of my senses.I like to note how the air smells and how that smell changes as the seasons change. I often can smell freshly cut grass and I especially like the earthy smell that greets me after a rain cleanses the earth.I like to look at the way dew clings to the grass and I like to watch how the sky changes color.All that appreciation of the life before me emphasizes there is no such thing as an ordinary day not if we look with wonder at our everyday world.While Italy gave us culinary delights with every single meal, one thing it did not offer was a good American coffee. Some were so enthralled with the Italian espresso machines where warm, foaming milk topped the little cups. But my husband and I missed our big, daily mug of American coffee.On our first morning home we were so delighted to enjoy the smell of freshly brewed coffee and to have our coffee the way we like it.Like little kids getting their first taste of candy, we greedily drank the entire pot of coffee, smacking our lips in pleasure.Often, little pleasures are taken for granted until we are away from them for a while.While I appreciate much about the routine of my typical days, there hasn't been much that's been routine in my life for the past month.If I had a candle on a birthday cake for every birthday I've had, it could set a small fire. While I think every single birthday is special, my big milestone birthday called for an even bigger celebration, according to my two daughters.As a birthday surprise, they booked us into a great seashore resort with a wide, white sand beach, a lively tiki hut with a band where there's always a party going on and a gourmet restaurant that is part of the complex.My daughters wanted my birthday to be special, and thanks to them, it truly was. There's an old wife's tale that says how you spend your birthday is how you will spend the year. If so, I am one incredibly lucky lady.Since one of my favorite things in the world is kayaking, my husband and I started off the day in kayaks exploring a popular park called Lover's Key. Just call it fun under the Florida sun.The Gulf of Mexico was as warm and as inviting as bath water so the beach was especially delightful. So was the gourmet restaurant.We danced the night away at the outdoor tiki hut where the party atmosphere made for a perfect birthday celebration.When the next day was cloudy with rain threatening, my husband declared it was a "terrible day."I told him there is no such thing as a terrible day at the beach. Cloudy, rainy, windy or sunny, every day at the beach offers something special.And you know what that's exactly like life itself. Every day offers something special if we just take advantage of it.Each and every day we are given is an extraordinary day. The older I get, the more I realize that truth.