Getting things accomplished

"I just don't feel like I've gotten anything accomplished today," we sigh and say. People particularly feel this during the pandemic we are, now experiencing. We beat ourselves up and ask why. We think we're accomplishing nothing? We feel sad and unfulfilled.

A friend, Julie, was laid off from work. She worked in a restaurant and enjoyed interacting with customers. Julie enjoyed helping people choose their orders. She always tried to smile and take an interest in those at her tables. Many had become friends and asked for her each time they came into the establishment. Julie felt special as a waitress, confidant and friend. She felt she was needed by many that came by, and tried to make sure she added sunshine to their day. Julie felt like she was accomplishing something important. She was also helping with the family budget by contributing financially. Julie loved getting up in the morning and knowing she had a place to go and people to meet. Her children were taken care of while she worked, so when she came home she could relax and spend time with family. Life was good, she thought.

It never occurred to Julie that her present way of life would be changed as drastically as it had. Her life turned upside down with no warning. She had so much to accomplish and needed to be able to get out to reach her goals. Julie was another victim of the Covid-19 pandemic. She and many others had to re-adjust their priorities. How could anyone accomplish their goals with all the rules? Many felt they were accomplishing little.

I talked with an elderly relative, Camie, recently. This is a daily priority for me because she lives alone and enjoys my calls. She also requests I call her to make sure she is still alive each day. Camie has endured many heartbreaking tragedies, but she tries to keep as cheerful as possible, seldom complaining. During our telephone conversation, I asked Camie what she had done that day. "Oh, nothing much," she said. "I didn't get anything accomplished." She said this with reservation, as if she was embarrassed. Camie is 93, and she tries to keep up things at her home, with the help of a nearby son-in-law. I said, "You got out of bed and dressed, didn't you?" Camie answered, "yes." That is a chore for her that takes a lot of her time. I went on to mention other things that I knew she had accomplished, without recognizing their importance. She had prepared her coffee, paid some bills, prepared her lunch and dinner, and performed other chores we all take for granted. For Camie, all these feats required extra time and effort, especially for a 93-year-old person who has trouble doing the minutest jobs. By the time I outlined how much I felt she had accomplished, merely keeping up with life, she felt refreshed and like she had accomplished lots. Do we recognize that the mundane, ordinary things we do are purposeful and quite an accomplishment?

What we perceive as effortless and unimportant often takes large chunks of time from our day. Even though we may be forced to stay at home, we are still accomplishing notable things worthy of applauding. Having to fill our days and nights with an unfamiliar routine takes much stamina, emotional energy and creativity. This has been our predicament with the recent brush with Covid-19. The different atmosphere within society has been eye-opening -- forcing us to reach within to find our inner resources. Whether we're a business owner, pastor, employee or homemaker, we've all had to accept the unknown and change our expectations. Life will always be ambiguous.

An accomplishment can consist of whatever we do that has purpose whether we realize its value or not. We can't always choose. Within Christian Scripture, Proverbs 16:9, says, "In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps."