golf: n. A ball game played by individuals competing against one another in which the object is to hit a ball into each of a series of (usually eighteen or nine) holes in the minimum number of strokes.
"I feel so overwhelmed if I think of the overall picture," she said, "so I'm just going to go with your 'one step at a time.'"
A friend has stepped out from under her nurse's cap to train for another job, a medical coder. At the age of seventy-two--with a bad knee to boot--her body can no longer hold up to the physical rigors and demands of nursing. A desk job, one which relies on brains sans brawn, seemed practical and made sense. She has returned to school at the local community college to gain certification and future employment.
"Why," you may ask, "does she still need to work? Don't nurses make good money?" A bout with cancer several years ago wiped her out financially. Period.
Panic set in as she began her second term. "It's the 2:30 wake-up thoughts...last night it was What AM I doing? What if I fail? stuff. I'm trying to not get that panicky, overwhelming feeling thinking about it."
"You're trying to take on the whole," I told her. "It will never work. All you can do is go one day at a time, one step at a time,"
Life is like that. The whole of it is overwhelming. It may present itself in the form of family concerns, health issues, financial problems, or--in our present culture--be political in nature. In reality, all any of us has is this current moment in time. Right here. Right now. Being concerned about "someday" is a waste of time and energy, an exercise in futility.
My suggestion is to live life like a golfer. The game of golf consists of either nine or eighteen holes. Using a golf club, a small ball is hit into each of those holes with the least number of swings (called a stroke.) The course is completed by hitting the ball towards each hole one hit, one swing at a time. Sometimes the ball goes in water or high grass and can't even be seen or found. Another one takes its place, and the golfer continues on--one hit, one swing at a time. The final hole isn't visible when the game begins at the first swing, but that doesn't mean it isn't there. When the last swing is made on the last hole, the game is completed.
This is my point: Deal with the task at hand, in the here and now. The process cannot be sped up. Take every step, in order, and you will get to the end.
Regardless of your personal circumstances, the picture is clear. And makes a lot of sense.
So go forth. Live life like a golfer. Focus on what is right in front of you, but never forget the end goal. For me, that is finishing out this physical life and stepping into eternity.