Have you ever felt like the weight of the world was on your shoulders?
I think we have all had the feeling every now and again. Economic, social, and political problems abound in the news around the world. Incessant inflation, social unrest, and political conflict with no end in sight tend to be an everyday thing for many.
What can we do to handle all these challenges?
While each situation is different, and there isn’t one answer that works for everything, to start we need only get beyond the next bend. Life is like a road full of extremely long stretches, dangerous curves, high passes and deep valleys. Each part can seem like a sensational dream or like a a terrible nightmare.
The only thing we need to do is to get past the next curve in the road. While it seems quite simple, sometimes it can be difficult. Nevertheless, think about the fact that a journey of a thousand miles begins with just one step and the only part of the road where we can leave our footprints is right beneath our feet.
We can hope, and even obsess about something beautiful at the end of the road, but I insist life is about living this moment, right now. It’s common to fret about what we’ve already done and worry about what’s to come, but the truth of the matter is that the only thing we can do is to act in the present. 
No amount of anxiety can change what has been done in the past and worrying about what hasn’t happened is an exercise in futility leading only to frustration.
Concentrating only on making it to the next bend, we can leave done what is already done, while also leaving tomorrow for tomorrow. Each day to its own. Some days we may take only a few steps, and on others fall back. Then there will be those when everything is going right and with the wind in our sails, we go much farther, as if we were skipping over water.
Staying with on our feet firmly on the ground, our eyes firmly on the horizon, and taking one step after another is the best way to get to closer to where we want to go. 
Have you ever thought about the number of drops of water it takes to fill a river? Each one by itself, separate and apart, doesn’t do much, but together they create majestic rivers and magnificent lakes.
Concentrate your effort on what you can do right now to get to where you want to be tomorrow, taking the steps necessary daily to get there. Remember, Rome was not built in a day and life is not an isolated event, rather a series of occurrences making up our journey. 
Do what is in your power to manage each situation as it arises, giving your best effort daily. To get to where we want to go, we will get there more pleasantly and with less fatigue when we focus only on getting just beyond the next bend in the road.
∞ Rob McBride ∞
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