“Have a quality semester,” I overheard an instructor bid a student last week on the first day of the fall term, and that has been stuck in my head like an ear-worm. More specific than arbitrary descriptives that are overused ad nauseum such as “great” or “very good,” the word “quality” depicts a certain degree of fineness or worth. The directive was music to my ears and I have been humming the tune ever since.

“Quality” can be attributed to just about anything, both tangible and intangible. It’s a thing’s quality that ultimately determines its value. When something is of good or high quality, it generally makes that thing, whatever it might be, meaningful and immensely satisfying to whom it belongs, and therefore prized and appreciated.

When I think of quality experiences and relationships I have had, I think of those times when I was really 100% present. Times when I was totally and completely immersed. That made them incredibly satisfying at the time and memorable over the years.

Any experience can be high quality when someone is fully aware and absolutely present. It can be something ordinary, like washing a car, or something thrilling, like zip-lining. Both activities, each at opposite ends of the “excitement spectrum,” are equally capable of capturing my complete attention. Such experiences can be almost Zen-like; when mind and body are both tuned in to the task at hand, and the end result is genuinely gratifying.

So when I think about the teacher wishing the student a quality semester, I imagine she was hoping that the student would be stimulated by the content of the subject matter, inspired by the instructor, and view each subject she was taking as a building block to her overall education in life. I think the instructor hoped that the student would completely immerse herself in the educational experience and grow in more ways than simply striving for a good grade. I think she hoped that the student would regard the cumulative process of learning as valuable, continuous, and never-ending.

I find it amazing that something accidentally overheard would have made the impact it has in my thinking, but it has. But then, there really are no coincidences, are there? No matter. I’ve become keen to being aware and striving for quality in even the most ordinary of daily activities, and the results are extraordinary indeed!