One Thing at a Time

A wee lil' frog has been living in the greenhouse under the big ruffled leaves of a White Russian kale. He (I consulted with the internet, and he is indeed a he) is very small, but he sings with a big voice in the early evening hours. I was worried about him, as just the other day, we ate the kale for dinner. This morning I saw that he has moved, perching in the apricot mallow, just under the new spring growth. 

I made up a little song that I sing to myself when I am overwhelmed. I am no great musician so don't be too impressed! It goes like this:

"One thing at a time. One thing at a time!" 

I wonder if the frog sang this song to himself as he was looking for a new home? 

Our minds can get easily overwhelmed, projecting all sorts of calamity onto the future. It is a kind of fashion to have a doomsday approach to all of our troubles. Climate change! The election! And there are your personal challenges too. I am not saying that things aren't hard or scary! Think of the frog - someone (ok, me) ate his home. 

However, doomsday scenarios don't add anything to the ability to move forward with presence and compassion. Nor do these fraught imaginings actually contribute to a better outcome. We create the future by tending to what is in front of us one thing at a time. 

The present is hard enough, uncertain enough. We don't know what is coming - we never do. In this story, the frog had no idea that I was coming for his leafy home, yet he pivoted, tending to what needed to be done, and made a new home. 

Take care of yourself and this world with compassion - one thing at a time.