Do you have a hard time living in the present? If you’re as old as me, you have probably heard that song
“One day at a time, sweet Jesus.”
I remember my mom singing that song when I was a toddler, likely while I stirred up some sort of trouble around the house. I don’t think I truly appreciated the importance of the actual message of that song until the past few years, but especially over the past year.
As a physician assistant in the ER and in hospital medicine, I have been deep in the trenches as we have dealt with the COVID pandemic. I have seen patients slowly die from this terrible illness which only a year ago was not even something we could have imagined. I have had many heart wrenching phone calls with patient’s families who were unable to visit, but longed for every new bit of information and glimmer of hope.
Thankfully, there was always hope.
And there always will be hope, no matter the circumstance.
Believe it or not, most of my time spent with COVID patients involved encouraging the patient and giving them reasons to hope. The patient would often ask “when will I get better” or “when can I go home.”
My answer was always the same: “we are going to take it one day at a time.“
What did I mean by that? I explained to patients that we can’t look back to when they were healthier before the illness had so weakened their body. That type of thinking only promotes self pity, sadness, and despair. Instead I would ask my patient if they could find one thing that was better than the day before. If they were unable to find even one thing that was better, then I would suggest that we make a goal of feeling better the next day. This might encourage the patient to try to eat a little better (despite poor appetite), use incentive spirometer (despite shortness of breath), or even walk a few steps out of bed (despite severe weakness).
I noticed a difference in the patients who got better and the ones who did not: their attitudes and their sense of hope were drastically different.
Those with a positive attitude and hope made small goals each day. They made slow progress and got better! It was remarkable to see the improvement and I was so happy when they were able to be discharged back home with their families.
Through my patients I have learned the power of positivity, faith in God, and most importantly: living in the present.
Confession time: I have a hard time living in the present. As I write this blog, my mind wanders. I think about other things that I could be doing to be more productive or to maximize my time. I’m glad for this type of motivation, but it can be counter-productive. Our society encourages multi-tasking, maximizing every moment, and juggling the demands of life.
Instead I’m asking you to live in the present today. Try to put your phone down while your kids are telling you a silly story or explaining their most recent Minecraft adventure. Consider waking up a few minutes early to pray, meditate and prepare for your day. Allow for some quiet time to reflect. Work off some negative energy at the gym. Walk your dog. Find value in enjoying something TODAY without worrying about what you may face tomorrow.
I think you will find that we have all been blessed in so many different ways. We just need to take the time to notice.
What small changes have you made in your life that has allowed YOU to live in the moment? I would love your feedback!
