Microcosm

Some days, my world seems so small--sleeping in preparation for work, sleeping to recover from work, watching the time, preparing food. What is the importance, I wonder, when the focus seems so narrow?

But then I realize that what feels narrow is just a microcosm of what is not narrow at all. A great deal of life is preparation for what we want (or need) to do--whether you are a gymnast training hours daily, or a pianist practicing into the wee hours for a concert, or a just a mom juggling family by day and work by night. And for all of these people, recovery is an equally big part, whether recovery means icing down limbs or resting fingers or grabbing sleep when possible.

It is easy to feel less than accomplished when we look around and see that others' endeavors are bigger, or brighter, or seemingly more important than our own. We appear just to be muddling through the everyday, while they seem to be soaring toward greatness. Yet, when we break it down, our steps, while perhaps smaller, are no less important. We are doing what needs to be done, and we are taking the necessary daily steps to do it. For some, there will be applause or a medal, for others, simply a paycheck or a hug. But the steps in the process continue, a microcosm of the steps that are being taken all over to keep life moving.