I was speaking with my mother the other day while she giggled about the antics of her dog, my boyfriend, Apollo aka Pol. He kept going from food to toy, couch to floor, reveling in his dog-ness.

“One joy at a time is all he can handle!” She exclaimed.

It made me think about that phrase. One joy at a time.

In a society that revels in multi-tasking, demanding everything be done all at once despite our chronic limitations, Pol teaches an important lesson. We only have what is right in front of us right this moment. Thinking ahead takes away from what we’re doing. Going over things we’ve done is redundant (redundant) (heehee). This is it.

I used to think that somewhere along the line I’d be given a key/playbook/how-to or something that would show or tell me how to do things. Because of that belief, I looked forward to the day that would happen. As naive as that sounds now, I really thought that’s how adults who “have their shit together” got that way.

I no longer believe that, but what I’ve discovered is that the big picture is great as far as a guidebook goes, but, like Miss Marge taught me, keep moving (even if it’s a sidestep). Take a bite of the moment and savor it as if it were the most wonderful thing you’ve ever experienced. In reality, it is. No matter what is happening, however you percieve it, it IS something never done before in your lifetime, not like this. Not in this moment.

You may have fed your children or your dog a thousand times, but what if this was the last time you were able to do that whether something happened to them or you? Would you feel regretful that you didn’t “do more” or “pay attention better?” Chances are likely, yes.

Each moment is unique to us individually. I read about how a rainbow can never be perceived the same way even if you’re standing next to each other because the light refracts in such a way that what I see isn’t what you see even though we’re looking at the same thing at the same time.

This flows in congruency with our life experiences. This is what we have. This is what we’re doing. This is our perception of time. Because of this, we can take the lesson of Apollo, One Joy at a Time.

May peace be with you wherever you are or go. You are loved.