YOU JUST HAVE TO LAUGH

I have so much to share, I hardly know where to begin. Should I continue to focus on mental illness and mental health? Should I tell my own story? What is most important?

Recent events cause me to continually question my sense of priorities. Do I really know what’s most important for me to do from moment to moment?

Take today, for instance. I got a good start – slept well, got up and moving on time, hit the road only about 30 minutes later than my goal, managed to remember to get breakfast from the cafeteria as I walked in (instead of having to go down later). This is vastly improved over how I was progressing just a week or two ago.

But that’s where the “good start” ended. Once at my desk, a reminder on my monitor told me I was supposed to be 36 minutes away within the next 56 minutes. It takes me about 15 minutes to get from my office to my car, so I judged that I should be able to make it.

I was almost to my car – breakfast still in hand, when I realized I had left the paperwork needed for the appointment on my desk. I chuckled. “Well… so much for being on time.”

I have learned that when things are REALLY not going as planned, I need to pause and reassess my priorities. Most of us know that breakfast is very important, but so many of us gobble it down between tasks or while en route. It is no longer the norm to stop, sit with loved ones, pray God’s blessing, and ENJOY the fruits of labor with Him in the food we eat. That time of celebration with the Almighty often no longer takes place in our lives. How much do we miss due to that?

So, I turned, made my way back to the cafeteria, and shared my thoughtless actions with the cashier there, who is a dear, sweet lady. She remarked, “Sounds like something I would do.” We smiled together, and I sat and prayed quickly and began to eat without much thought. (Not exactly the “celebration” I am now making one of my goals for the future.)

I sat, and before long, someone with whom I had never really previously conversed, but whom I had hoped to be able to thank for recent comments, came in – and I got that opportunity. How grateful I was in that moment.

When I got back up to my desk, I pulled the paperwork to me, planning to call and reschedule the appointment. I noticed that the actual time of the appointment was later than the reminder had indicated – I actually had enough time to still get there with a few minutes to spare. So back I went to my vehicle, and the appointment was kept successfully.

I was reminded of a frequent thought of mine lately: EVERYBODY WINS.

Now, is this scatterbrained story an indication of my mental condition… or might it just be that I’m giving long overdue attention to looking at which things are TRULY a priority? (My answer: PROBABLY BOTH.) WLTR&R