When we’re getting by, we’re not pursuing lofty goals or dreams, nor even striving for peace or happiness. We’re just trying to make it through the day. Keep afloat. Trying to make it to work on time, eat a decent lunch, finish up the day’s work. There’s nothing spectacular or special about it. It’s like trying to balance an equation to what equates to normal. Keeping everything together, more or less.
It can be a day filled with hurdles–obstacles that don’t really seem like obstacles to anyone else but us. Things like packing up lunch or trying to make coffee before we head off to work when we have 5 minutes to leave. And on the road, it’s the challenge of beating traffic, snaking through lanes so that we don’t get stuck at a red light. We don’t even have time to enjoy the moment, to smell the roses.
And when the work day is done, even picking up groceries or driving back home can be a challenge. A challenge compounded by exhaustion, fatigue, and the stress we’ve undergone by deadlines and tedious, voluminous work. There’s no chance of getting a moment to relax. Everything is go go go.
And when the sun falls, and the night settles in, we’re still wide awake, stressed about tomorrow. Stressed about getting by–making it another day when it seems like everyone else has it together.
Fallton Havenstonne 