Chapter 15: The Thirteenth Tuesday: The Perfect Day -

“I’d do it all again. Every bit of it.” — Morrie Schwartz

The Thirteenth Tuesday

Topic: The Perfect Day — What Morrie would do if he had one healthy day left

The Question

Mitch asks Morrie a question that many interviewers have asked: if you could have one perfectly healthy day, what would you do? It is the kind of question that invites grand answers — travel the world, climb a mountain, meet a hero, accomplish something extraordinary.

Morrie's answer is none of these things.

Morrie's Perfect Day

Morrie describes his perfect day with a specificity that is as moving as it is ordinary:

I'd get up in the morning, do my exercises, have a lovely breakfast of sweet rolls and tea, go for a swim, then have my friends come over for a nice lunch. I'd have them come one or two at a time so we could talk about their families, their issues, talk about how much we mean to each other. Then I'd go for a walk, in a garden probably, with some trees and look at the colors, watch the birds, take in the nature that I haven't really seen in so long. Then in the evening, I'd go to a restaurant with some great pasta, maybe some duck. Then I'd dance the rest of the night. I'd dance with all the wonderful dance partners out there, until I was exhausted. And then I'd go home and have a deep, wonderful sleep.

The Radical Ordinariness

Mitch is stunned — not by the answer, but by its simplicity. Morrie's perfect day contains nothing that requires money, fame, power, or extraordinary circumstances. No private jets. No exotic destinations. No once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Just exercise, food, friends, nature, and dancing.

This is the most subversive thing Morrie says in the entire book. In a culture that equates happiness with spectacle, Morrie's perfect day is composed entirely of things that are available — in some form — to almost everyone. The implicit message is devastating: everything you need for a perfect day, you already have. You are just not paying attention.

Happiness Is Not Exotic

Morrie's perfect day reveals a truth that most people spend their lives avoiding: happiness is not found in extraordinary experiences. It is found in fully experiencing ordinary ones. A meal with friends is not special because of what you eat. It is special because of who you eat with and how present you are while eating. A walk in nature is not special because of where you walk. It is special because you slow down enough to actually see.

The Three Symbols

Morrie's perfect day contains three elements that recur throughout the book as symbols of a life well-lived:

Food: Not as fuel or indulgence, but as communion — the act of sharing a meal with people you love. Throughout the book, Mitch brings food to Morrie's house. As Morrie loses the ability to eat, these meals become increasingly poignant. Food represents the nurturing of relationships.
Nature: Morrie's study window looks out on a garden. The hibiscus plant by his chair is a constant companion. Nature represents the cycle of life — growth, shedding, renewal — and Morrie's acceptance of his place in it.
Dancing: This is the most powerful symbol. Dancing was Morrie's great joy — he went to a church every Wednesday and danced freely. When his legs failed, it was the first sign that something was wrong. In his perfect day, dancing returns. It represents freedom, embodiment, joy, and the life force itself.

No Mention of Achievement

Notice what is absent from Morrie's perfect day: there is no work. No accomplishment. No recognition. No checking email, no making deals, no advancing a career. There is not a single item on the list that would appear on a resume.

This omission is Morrie's final commentary on what matters. At the end of life, when all pretense is stripped away, a dying man does not dream about his career. He dreams about swimming, eating with friends, watching birds, and dancing until exhaustion. He dreams about being fully alive in the most basic, human sense.

Go Big

Your perfect day should be extraordinary — luxury, adventure, bucket-list experiences. Happiness requires special circumstances.

Go Simple

A perfect day is breakfast with tea, a walk with trees, dinner with friends, and dancing. Everything you need, you already have.

Cremation and Humor

In a lighter moment, Morrie and Mitch discuss cremation. Morrie jokes about the practical details of his death with the same directness he brings to everything. He does not shy away from the logistics of dying any more than he shies away from its philosophy.

This humor is not denial. It is the opposite — the humor of someone who has looked death in the face so directly that he can joke about it. It is the humor of acceptance.

Key Takeaways

The Perfect Day Is Simple: Exercise, food, friends, nature, dancing — nothing that requires wealth or status
Everything You Need, You Have: Happiness is not found in extraordinary experiences but in fully experiencing ordinary ones
Presence Is the Key: What makes a moment perfect is not what you are doing, but how fully you are doing it
Achievement Does Not Appear: At the end of life, no one dreams about their career — they dream about connection and joy
Dancing as Metaphor: To dance is to be fully alive — embodied, joyful, free, present

What would your perfect day look like? How much of it is available to you right now — today — if you simply chose to be present for it?