It was a beautiful Sunday morning.  The air was still damp from the night’s rainstorm and we were standing on the deck drinking coffee looking out over my newly cleared yard.  The yard  I spent 10 years and way too much money trying to control.  The yard that out of revenge had slowly but determinately reverted back to its original Amazonian way.  The state of the yard was one of the many things I lamented as he stood there quietly and listened.

“I need to finish the yard, I need to stain the deck, I need to clean the house, I need to wash clothes, I need to find EJ a better school, I need to make more money, I need a vacation!” I cried.

“No, what you need to do is take a deep breath and realize  even a Gold Medalist has to take his first step, and when he step, the world cheered”, he replied in that thick patios that indicates a moral gem is about to be unearthed.

So I exhaled and listened…..

Over the next hour he brought me back to that safe place where anxiety is not welcomed and dare not try to force its way in.  That place where patience reigns and every accomplishment even the simple seemingly insignificant ones are celebrated like a child’s first steps.  They’re short, they’re wobbly and unsteady but somehow they manage to get her from point A to point B, which isn’t always where she intended, but still she smiles and her entire world cheers.

“I’m so proud of you!”, her mother says.  “That’s my girl!”, her daddy claims proudly.

Oh, how wonderful life would be if instead of worrying about winning the race, we just focused on taking the first step.  Taking one thing at a time while acknowledging and celebrating each step and cheering ourselves on without concern for whether or not we’ve actually accomplished the goal.  What if we looked at our to do list as a roadmap, and each task as a landmark whose only purpose is to confirm we’re heading in the right direction? Understanding that some tasks require little more than a simple acknowledgment while others demand to be examined, contemplated and enjoyed.   Yes, please!!!

Later on that day as I sat in my living room folding my baby’s Star Wars underoos I stopped and gave thanks for the opportunity to do something so simple yet so necessary for his comfort and happiness. The chore that caused me so much anxiety all of a sudden became a landmark on the road to his future.  His draws were clean and folded just in time for his first day of school, which God willing would be the first of many first days eventually leading to a purposeful  and joy-filled life.  What more could I ask for?

F.A.B. Girls know:  Life’s a journey, not a destination.   Onward my loves!!!!