One Day At A Time

Recently I was sitting alone in a Mexican restaurant and enjoying a delicious lunch.  When I finished my meal, I sat there quietly and started thinking about my life.  Things I needed to do.  Places I needed to go.  Issues I needed to handle.  Challenges I needed to overcome.  All of these different thoughts were going through my head.  And I found myself not wanting to get out of my booth.  It was kind of like I just wanted to stay put and hide from life a little while longer.

As I sat there, I just froze.  I started feeling overwhelmed.  My life was feeling like an uncontrollable avalanche, and I started thinking, "Man, this is just too much for me to handle."

It was at this time that the waitress walked by my table.  I suppose my face was showing how I felt on the inside because she looked at me and asked, "Hey, are you ok?"   I responded, "I'm just feeling overwhelmed with life right now."  Then she smiled and said something I'll never forget, "You just gotta live one day at a time."

Wow.

She was right, you know?!

Sometimes it can be a lot to process when we start thinking about all the things going on in our lives.  Things can begin to feel like a bit much.  The big picture can be overwhelming.

But when we live one day at a time, we're just calmly taking one small step after another. And we're not worrying about crossing bridges we haven't even approached yet.  Rather than stressing over the multiple issues we must address in our lives, we're instead dealing with a single issue right here and right now.  That's a little easier to manage, you know?!

When that waitiress said that, I was encouraged.  The dark clouds started drifting away and sunshine re-enetered my heart.  And I felt energized.  So I got up, paid the bill, left her a tip, headed out the door, and got back to work.  Simply put, my day was changed when I was reminded of that very important lesson.

Are you feeling overwhelmed with your life?  If so, let me assure you that we all feel that way at times.  You're not alone.  It happens.  But the good news is this:  You can find peace of mind.  Look to God and whisper a prayer.  Accept the fact that yesterday is over and tomorrow hasn't even arrived yet.  And decide to focus solely on today.  When you do this, you're living one day at a time.  And doing that will make your life so much calmer and better.