Not the plan

The Onion is a satirical newspaper that proclaims itself to be America’s finest news source. More often than not, it’s humor hits the mark in ways that evoke awareness on the part of the reader. For me, the stories frequently feel like personal attacks, because they are so relatable.

Several years ago, The Onion published a story under the headline “Plan To Straighten Out Entire Life During Weeklong Vacation Yields Mixed Results”. In the piece, a local man lamented that he failed to sort his entire life out in a week, despite the best of intentions. The article resonates with me.

What I’ve learned is to focus on small steps that make me proud of my effort. Giant leaps feel great, but they’re rare and not sustainable.

If I find my mind wandering to the things that don’t help me feel well, I remind myself that I don’t have to spend my time and energy this way and refocus on the moment. I’ve tried to let go of the guilt I put on myself for not being perfect. It’s natural to have trouble letting go of things that upset us.

If I can’t let something go, I spend a moment with that feeling and understand why it’s pulling me in. Then I give myself permission to set it aside and come back to it later.

I won’t get my life together in a weekend. However, I am growing into a better version of myself everyday.