Right here, right now.

I heard a woman say once, “Be where your hands are.”

Doing dishes :(She was talking about doing dishes, and I thought, well that’s common sense. You can’t possibly be standing at the kitchen sink, elbows-deep in sudsy water, and be anywhere else.

Or, maybe you can.

Maybe you can be there at the counter, scrubbing away shards of dinner but thinking hard on yesterday’s mistakes or pleading for a better tomorrow — which means more time and more money and “not one more bill,” because September is a hard month and that first Fall paycheck that’s due soon is already spent. And then some. And, while your worries and frustrations sure get the plates clean, they also kick up the water which soaks into your shirt, and Oh. There you are, back at the sink.

Be where your hands are.

It doesn’t take much to set me spinning. News of crashing stocks (again) and predictions of economies on the brink, are enough. In a flash, I am hours ahead, or days past, or years into apocalypse kind of crazy. To put it in perspective: at one point this week, I seriously considered pulling my retirement funds and stuffing it all in my mattress. Kick it old school, I thought. Screw the Market.

It took my dad’s reassuring voice – “everything comes back around, just celebrate when the stocks go up again” (because they will) – and a phone call to a good friend to remind me that there’s plenty in this world I can’t control.

I’m not alone.

And, I do have today.

Be where your hands are.

So, I focus on things that keep me grounded, in the moment:

  • Laughter, from my kids or with a close friend or at myself (I can be fairly ridiculous at times), because a good belly laugh strikes the air and cuts through my fear and brings me back to Here and Now.
  • Reading books out loud to my son or daughter, because I can’t read aloud and let my thoughts wander at the same time. Plus, that time – snuggled up, sharing a story – I don’t want to waste it.
  • Checking in with friends who know me well enough to say, Yeah. You could stuff your mattress, but really, what would that accomplish? A poor night’s sleep. Trust the Universe.

Be where your hands are.

…Where are you today?

* Picture courtesy of tjshirey via Flickr.com