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Thursday, October 13, 2011

ONE DAY AT A TIME

     We've all heard the expression "One day at a time," and there is great wisdom in it if we stop to consider what it really means. I like to think of it as sun-up to sun-down. It's a cycle, a process, a moving through, and a closing out. The sun rises and the morning light spreads. We wake up, have our breakfast, and begin our day.
     The morning is the time to set our intention and our pace, to say a little prayer, and express a willingness to participate positively in the hours of daylight before us. And then we get moving. And if our mind resists what we are doing, we can bring awareness to our thinking. We can quiet ourselves and return to the task before us. In day-tight compartments we have no room or need for projecting into the disaster or success of the future, and no need to dwell with nostalgia or guilt on the past. In the day we can live free from worry. We can live free from fear and grasping. We can be content with and open to whatever the day presents. We don't have to manipulate it and manage it. We can allow ourselves to be surprised by the way it unfolds.
    And then, as the afternoon wears on and the shadows lengthen, we can appreciate the slowing down of activity, the energy shift to evening and the preparation of supper. We can sit and enjoy the meal with our families. We can talk about the happenings of our day, and laugh at ourselves as we share our adventures. We can wash the dishes without whining and enjoy the feel of warm water on our hands. We can sit and drink coffee or tea as we wind into the darkness. And then we say another little prayer before we go to bed, a prayer of thanks. Thank you for another day of living, and of life experience.
     It's a rich and simple way to live. It's stress free, and it's mentally and physically healthy. Day-tight. Sunup to sundown. One day at a time.

I live in the day. I do not allow myself to become mentally distracted by projecting into the future or fretting over the past. I call my mind back to the present moment every time it wants to stray. I am free from worry. I am awake and aware.