It’s Just One Thing, How Hard Can That Be?

I’m pretty sure that most of us have had a year that we could never have imagined, predicted or even conceptualized this time last year. If anyone had told us how 2020 would have turned out we would never have believed them. Things we planned didn’t get to happen or didn’t happen how we imagined, many plans got cancelled, and still more things were denied us in order to keep everyone safe. No matter how we feel about it all we cannot go back and undo the past, even God does not have that power.

Were in the last month of this crazy year and everything has changed whether we like it or not. So what now? How do we plan or get excited about a new year when we have no idea how anything will work out? We can sit and stew it in all, get angry or frustrated, disinterested or even allow ourselves to slowly sink into a deep funk. And there are days and even weeks when we have all fought to stay out of that dark endless hole with little or no success. So how to keep moving forward?

As I reflect on my up and down ride during these many months I found that the days I felt positive, productive and healthy were the days when I did something. Anything, just to keep moving and feel like things matter. I painted or updated things around our house. I rearranged furniture, I cleaned up or out or cleared out and even reread books I have alway enjoyed. I found ‘work’ to do when there felt like there was no work. And I spent time quietly enjoying the spaces in which I live. I savored the quiet as a gift instead of a jail sentence, and I counted my blessings instead of the things I was missing. Above all I reminded myself that it could be a lot worse on so many levels. It became a mental game I wanted to win because losing it meant my circumstances beat me.

We cannot change these months. We can control two things – our actions and our attitude. As you read this decide right now what you want to “do” today to keep yourself and your world moving forward. Maybe it is cleaning out your sock drawer, maybe it is finishing that dreaded report, or it could even mean doing something completely new. Do it for yourself, do it for your family, do it for your future. We may not know what 2021 will bring yet we can do one thing today to keep it all moving in a positive direction. It’s just one thing, how hard can that be?