Breathe

As you start this week…. take a deep breath. Exhale. Repeat again. Actually, repeat as necessary until you feel your shoulders relax and your spirit calm.

Those things that feel really important today? They may not be so terribly important. I don’t know what they are, true, but think about where you were exactly one year ago today. Think about the day you had, the things you did. It might have been an important day for you, I don’t know, but odds are, it was probably an ordinary day. Laundry folding, lunch making, errand running, perhaps a dentist appointment or two.

How do they affect you today? Not much, I’d wager. In fact, there’s a pretty good chance you don’t remember a plum thing about the 24 hours that happened 365 days ago.

I’m not saying our everyday little choices don’t matter, because they do—I’ve written a whole book about that, in fact. But when we’re in the trenches, neck-deep in the liturgy of life, it’s hard to see clearly. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed.

Today, just do the things in front of you. And if you don’t get it all done? No worries. Just start again tomorrow. Breathe deeply. Don’t forget to look up. And make the most of your day today, because it matters—but don’t put too much weight on that laundry pile. It’s just laundry.