Another rock-solid principle of seizing your everydays is this quote by Robert D. Hales. There’s much to celebrate and be grateful for in each day, but sometimes it’s a “just do today” kind of day. The kind where you do your best just to make it through that day. Our days here have been those kind of days. Our daughter’s health took a downturn last fall, and much time, effort and love have been needed to help her.

For a while, I railed against not being able to do everything that I wanted to get done – things that needed to get done. So many new, absolutely essential tasks commandeered the head of my daily to-do list, many of them having to do with being a caregiver to my daughter, the household and to myself. My normal to-do list was a thing of the past. (By the way, notice who’s last on the list? Yep. I quickly learned again why taking care of yourself first is such a cliché!) The additional chronic stress on mama-caregiver has aggravated some health issues of my own, and that’s when I remembered this quote.

It’s simply going to be impossible for me to handle everything right now, no matter how much I want to! Time to prioritize. What matters most? Family. My health and well-being. Meals. Clean clothes. Paying bills. My spiritual health. Looking for the good in each day. Down time. Rest.

This is a temporary time; life won’t always feel like “survival mode” here at my house. (You could also say, “this is a temporary time, the world will not always be in pandemic mode.”) But while it’s here, this quote is on my mirror so I can see it every day

When you cannot do what you have always done, then you only do what matters most.

Robert D. Hales

What matters most in your life?