The Gift of One Day at a Time

Photo Credit: My husband

Positive Pensées

Kathy King

The Gift of One Day at a Time

“Before your head hits the pillow tonight, remind yourself of the things you did right. Let go of the things you could have done better. Be patient with yourself, and remember that big things are achieved not all at once, but rather one day at a time.”

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There are days when you just can’t find the strength.

There are days when you feel that your feelings are on the brink.

There are days when loneliness persists.

There are days you wonder, “What did I miss?”

There are days when it is all that you can do is to put one foot in front of the other. 

There are days when you feel you will never recover.

There are days when you climb that mountain top

There are days you just wish you could make it to the base of the hill.

No matter where your feelings lie.

Remember dear one, before your head hits the pillow at night.

To give yourself some grace and remember God’s love.

When you find yourself in a place where there is little to no self love.

Remember those little steps that you took.

One moment at a time, day by day.

Be patient with yourself, find the small things that you did right.

So that when you do reach the mountain top, you’ll see you did it one day at a time.

There is a song that I remember from the Baptist church as a child. It was called “One Day at a time, Sweet Jesus.” In the song the lyrics ask for the strength to do the things that you need to do day by day. The song continues on by asking for God to show them the way one day at a time. I will say, 2023 has been a year where there have been days that it was all that I could do to put one foot in front of the other. I know of several folks who have truly struggled to make it this year. Add on top of that the wars that are being waged all over the world. The division in our country, the news media, social media, etc… etc.. etc..  It can be a bit overwhelming. What do we do? If you are a person of faith, prayer comes to mind. Find something to fill your soul and spirit that will lift you up. Find that attitude that you were able to put one foot in front of the other. This is a deeply personal subject to me. When I was rushed to the hospital with a blood pressure of 210/120, my pulse was pushing 170. I was scared. The ambulance folks thought I might be having a stroke or some sort of heart issue. As I made it to the hospital they discovered that my organs were basically shutting down. The liver was not great, the kidneys, etc.. I was not doing well. I had 12 banana (nutrient) bags, 15 hours of magnesium infusions, 8 hours of potassium infusions, etc…  I also had a paralyzed stomach, I could keep no food down, nor water. Then… I found out my iron was so low that in the words of the Dr, “It is a wonder you can put one foot in front of the other.”  This was all due to a very popular drug that is on the market for the treatment of diabetes. When I was talking to my nurse friend a few days ago, we were catching up after my recovery. She looked at me and told me that I was very fortunate to be alive. She explained with everything that was wrong I am a walking miracle. I had realized this, but I have/had been struggling with the fact that along with those issues my immune system was also very compromised. I have/had been giving myself a hard time that I still cannot do everything that I would like. I have cried, I have wailed, I have beaten myself up over and over because I was not doing everything that I could to help at home. I had to let others care for me. To my husband’s credit he stayed by my side. He bought me ensure. He took me back to the hospital when I was so weak I could barely stand. Yet here I was, still beating myself up. After my long talk with my nurse friend I decided enough was enough. My numbers are slowly improving, I have more strength today than I did a few months ago. I had to stop. I needed an attitude adjustment pretty quickly. Each day I try to find something that I did to move myself forward. I started bike riding again last week. That is huge. I huffed, I puffed, I was sore, I only made it two miles but I did it. Yesterday, I made it eight miles. It was slow. I was sucking wind like a trooper but I did it. Why do I share this? Well, I have been attending counseling recently to deal with a variety of life issues. It was in a session that I was encouraged to share my struggles so that maybe, just maybe I could help someone else and in turn, remember those steps that were taken. I will say, all of this was by the grace of God. So dear readers, I encourage you if you are struggling to take it one day at a time, one prayer at a time, one step at a time. You will eventually reach the top of that glorious mountain and take in the view. As I have written in other musings, the valley will come again. But, you climbed that mountain once. You will be more equipped to climb higher next time, one day at a time. 

One Day at a Time

By :Marijohn Wilkin and Kris Kristofferson.

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The Quacktastic Adventures of Ellie and Lord Barks a Lot