Each day seems to bring its own set of problems. Now, all of them cannot be the same, but isn’t it strange how many times we look at them with the same level of importance? I too find myself sometimes reacting to each problem as a monumental task, when if only I took a few steps back and saw how temporary and simple that problem really is.

Every few weeks, a relative of mine meets with me for lunch. We talk over the stories of the day and what’s going on in our lives. Halfway through our conversation we suddenly look at each other and just start laughing……she says to me, “Can you believe how we overblow things?” and I respond, “I know what you mean! Everything is not life and death, but if anybody overheard us, they would think we were real worrywarts!” Some things are important….. but, are there dustballs under the beds, really a matter of seriousness? Or, is the fact that you let your toenails get a little too long this month, a personal catastrophe? Perhaps that day it may be an event, but a week or two later, maybe not.

If all we do is judge each problem or chore on an equal level, it’s very easy to understand how exhausting it can become. We plow through the week and by Friday we are suffering from burnout. Why? Was everything that important? Did a worry about the mundane expand us? How much energy could we have applied to the things that were important?

These days I try to keep things in perspective as much as I can. Every Sunday night I look over the coming week and write down what I must do and what I plan to accomplish. Come Wednesday I always notice that additions are made, but overall it helps me be prepared for surprises that always seem to arise at unexpected moments. Doing this helps me keep my head on my shoulders. Like everyone else, I too have a lot on my plate. Still, a mountain is a mountain, and a molehill is a molehill, and never shall the two meet…….one is tall, one is small, and so too is each problem.

Observe the landscape,

Jennifer Avalon
© 2001 Jennifer Avalon