One Day at a Time

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!! Thanks for taking time out of your week to be here. I know this can be a very busy time for many people, including me. (I was unsure I’d even be posting this week with how busy -and sick- I’ve been lately, but here we are!) There is a lot going on during the holiday season, and so often we’re looking ahead to the next thing, whatever that might be.

Life is busy in general, but it really seems to pick up in October and November, when people are preparing for the holidays. I’m not one to say being busy is a bad thing, but I have noticed something that seems to take meaning out of the days during the busyness: we’re constantly looking ahead to the next thing. Instead of celebrating what we’re thankful for on Thanksgiving, for example, we’re thinking about all the things we don’t have and could get for Christmas (a day about an entire month away) that we might be able to buy on sale the next day. Our minds are one step ahead, stuck on the next holiday instead of enjoying and celebrating the one we’re on.

A phrase that I have to be reminded of so often is “one day at a time.” My days have been so full this fall, full of things I love doing, but it’s full of a lot more responsibility and sometimes I can get overwhelmed. I often have to take one day at a time, even focusing on one task at a time to avoid getting overwhelmed and stressed. And let me tell you, taking this approach to life truly helps me reduce stress. It can be hard to do, but it’s a valuable habit to get into.

Taking one day at a time means focusing on what’s immediately in front of you. Maybe you have an appointment or due date in a couple days, but today you have work and then important errands to run afterwards. Instead of being stressed about something in the future that you can’t do anything about yet, focusing on the tasks at hand and doing them to the best of your ability is a much better way to live life, relieving worry, stress, and distraction, all things which would likely decrease performance quality at your job, when driving, and running the errands you have to get done in the present. I was feeling the stress a night or two ago with all the things I wanted/had to get done this week, but after looking at what was on my calendar for the next day I realized I didn’t have as much I had to do as I thought, and then I remembered the words of Jesus saying, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28), and then I gave it all to God in prayer, and was able to go to sleep soon after that. (Side note: writing things down in a planner calendar and using a notes app or dry erase board really helps me keep life organized and helps make sure I don’t forget to do things!)

As you celebrate this holiday season, I want to encourage you to focus on the present. To be thankful for the time with family you have right now. To slow down. To be thankful for all your blessings, no matter how many you do or don’t have. To enjoy the moment. <3