One day at a time

This past weekend I traveled to attend my grandmother’s 95th birthday celebration. It was awesome. It was also a moment in time that I know was truly special.

Over the years as I have matured so too has my relationships with many people in my life, including my grandmother. When I was younger, she made me feel special by asking me questions about my life, making desserts when our family would come in town, and generally giving me quality time whenever we got together. I feel like in that part of my life our relationship was pretty one sided, not that there wasn’t mutual joy, but in the sense that she was the one engaging me and I was the one absorbing all the attention, seldom asking her questions about her own life. As I have gotten older and acquired more “life” under my belt, I have been so grateful to move away from that one-sided mentality to a focus on intentionally asking her questions to learn more about her journey and perspectives. This has led to a deeper appreciation for the challenges she has faced and the moments that have brought her the most joy. It has also enabled me to receive priceless advice I will never forget and in my best moments am able to apply.

All these conversations have also taught me how much courage, faith, and resilience she has exhibited in her life. Although always someone I looked up to, she has become a role model of mine for these values. How meaningful and important role models are in our lives.

As I took advantage of sitting next to my grandmother at a smaller group dinner the night before the birthday celebration, I asked her a pointed question about how she got through some specific trails she faced in her journey. Commence special moment.

Her answer touched on faith while also indicating taking everything “one day a time”. Over the past 18+ months of writing monthly articles on this platform, I always aspire to provide three of my lessons learned or recommendations to consider based on the topic. This month will be an exception and I think the reminder is so profound that it can stand alone:

1. One day at a time – so simple to say, so hard to do.

How often do we let our challenges overwhelm us? How easy is it to let adversity paralyze us? How quickly do we lose hope?

I can think of so many seasons, situations, and tasks in my life where my inaction made things worse, whether leading to an increase in stress, anxiety, and so on. However, when I reflect on my grandmother’s advice, it is yet another reminder of how important it is to just put one foot in front of the other. Focus on what you can do today and when tomorrow comes, repeat. Seek courage, have faith, and be resilient. If your lucky, you just might make it to 95.?