One Day at a Time...

Life is busy - I know that I'm preaching to the choir, and that those three words are so commonplace as to be trite. However, it has come home again to me as my family trends back into another year of organized school. Busy-ness is all around us whether it is church activities, sports, jobs, friends, life events - there's always something that could be done (not to mention yard work). Every so often, I find myself overwhelmed by the pace and the number of issues at hand. It is easy during those times to fall prey to anxiety and helplessness. My work with contemplative spirituality however, has shown me a different and healthier path. Humans have a tendancy to look ahead and to plan. This in and of itself is a good trait, but often we fall into the trap of "what if?" in our future-view and we lose sight of the precious thing that is today. Often, and this is the case for me currently, life events can get so onerous that we lose sight of the fact that the only thing we have to work with is today. Many years ago, Kris Kristofferson and Marijohn Wilkins penned the song "One Day at a Time, Sweet Jesus". It entered my mind as I was reflecting on what to write today, and how to write it. For those unfamiliar with the chorus it goes like this, "One day at a time sweet Jesus, that's all I'm asking from you. Just give me the strength to do everyday what I have to do. Yesterday's gone sweet Jesus, and tomorrow may never be mine. Lord help me today, show me the way, one day at a time." Beautiful and healing sentiments for those times when we get a little too out of control and are being battered by the sea of life. For me, and for those who I come into contact with at challenging times in their lives, it is such a wonderful gift to stop the mindless doing and to just breathe. To slowly inhale and exhale, to count heartbeats, to simply "be". Slowing down to the point that you are truly present to the moment allows for the wonder of living to be apparent (at least to me). This allows for relaxation and healing, and for the opportunity to be whole - not fractured or scattered, as is the norm nowadays. It is my contention (in a long line of contemplatives) that this type of mindfulness and stillness could heal the world. For more on this try Thomas Merton, Theresa of Avila or John of the Cross, Richard Rohr, to name just a few. This week when life gets out of control, just stop and breathe for a few minutes. See what happens - I think you'll like what you find. Peace for the journey, Dan