As a mother of five, I've always thought the "one day at a time" motto is a little... ambitious. I mean, an entire day?!? Without having a nervous breakdown? I feel like a genius if I can wrap my brain around a two-hour span of time. Really.
People sometimes assume I'm competent, but the truth is I'm limited. I cope with the messiness of life -- both physical and emotional -- the way I taught my preschoolers to clean up a playroom: by breaking things into manageable pieces. I put away the green blocks. Then I tackle the red ones. When the yellow and and blue blocks are in the box, I can think about putting the dress-up clothes away. Or something like that. The point is that when I carve out one thing to focus on, the task is clear, the scope is workable, and progress is tangible. And I'm not paralyzed by the enormity of what needs to be done.
This may be a byproduct of having fewer functioning brain cells than children. But when the vista of what needs to be done overwhelms me, it helps to narrow my focus.Even if that means my motto is 'one thing at a time' instead of 'one day at a time'. (With interruptions.)
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I once read and remembered this quote: "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!" I enjoy your posts. And learn from them!
ReplyDeleteI keep coming back to read this post. The first two sentences are pure genius.
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