Just One Thing

Bad Days are just bumps

Not insurmountable barriers.

Each bad day sends me reeling

A reminder that I need help

and that everything isn’t always great.

But I have a list of things that help.

As soon as I realize I am having a

Bad Day

I try to focus on just One Thing.

The other day, my One Thing, was a lady crossing the street (pre-COVID of course).

I sat in my car, waiting for the light to turn green. My mind was already reeling. I was impatient, thinking about where I was going and how much time I had to get there.

Part of the anxiety I experience involves carefully planning things.

Holding my shoulders up tight to my ears, I wondered if there would be a line of cars into the parking garage at my destination. I tried to calculate how much time I would save if there was no line. I reminded myself to pull up far enough to grab the entry ticket on the first try, rather than having to open my car door and step out to reach it.

Then, I imagined what I would do once I parked my car. I pictured exactly how I would gather my things to save the most time, which route I would take to walk inside the building, and about a dozen other details of my day.

I contemplated all of these things within just a few seconds at this stop light. Over a mile from the parking garage I was making my way to, with plenty of time ahead of me. It was then that I realized I was in the beginnings of a Bad Day.

I reminded myself to drop into the current moment. There was nothing I could do at this red light, no task I could accomplish or problem I could solve. I simply had to sit. And wait.

So, I started looking around me. The buildings in front of me, the cars speeding past.

I noticed an elderly woman crossing the street in front of me. She started on my far left, so I could see her face. It was weathered but determined. Her pace was slow and steady, with a singular focus on the path in front of her. She didn’t seem to even notice the cars around her, the honking, or the other pedestrians.

As I watched, I noticed she clutched something in her right hand. It was a bracelet that appeared to be made of clear crystal beads. It got me wondering where was going and why she was carrying this bracelet.

So, I settled into the moment and focused on this bracelet.

As she walked, her hand swung back and forth along her side in a rhythmic motion. When her hand passed in front of her, the light from the morning sun caught in the clear crystals. It made it appear as if she held a glowing ball of light. I was mesmerized. My jaw loosened and I let out the breath I didn’t realize I had been holding.

As her hand swung back behind her, it transformed into an ordinary bracelet again.

But every time she swung her hand forward, there it was. Light shining through, magnified and brilliant.

What a simple moment. It was just One Thing. But that flash of sun and beauty was enough to remind me that there is light shining everywhere. We just have to drop into the moment and remember to look for it.