One Day at a Time

We wake up each morning
With light on our face.
We stretch, we breathe,
And start from that place.

The dishes may wait.
The emails can pile.
Sometimes the best thing
Is to sit for a while.

We’re told to be busy,
To work and to strive.
But what’s the point
If we forget we’re alive?

So take it slow.
Make some toast.
Breathe in deep.
Do what you love most.

Not every day
Needs a plan or a goal.
Some are for walking,
For rest, for the soul.

Today is the moment.
Tomorrow’s not here.
It might come with joy,
Or trouble, or fear.

But we don’t live in someday.
We live in right now.
And we do what we can,
Not what others allow.

Some days we stumble.
Some days we run.
Some days just sitting
And watching the sun.

It’s not all success.
It’s not all a race.
Sometimes peace
Is just staying in place.

Make a list, sure.
Plan what you must.
But don’t let that paper
Steal your trust.

Trust in the present.
Trust in your pace.
Trust that right now
Can be a good place.

We all have worries,
And things we regret.
But don’t let those
Make you forget—

That you’re breathing and standing,
And doing your best.
That sometimes a nap
Beats passing a test.

We plant for the future,
And water the seeds.
We hope for good weather.
We pull out the weeds.

But we don’t live
In the garden-to-come.
We live in the soil.
We live in the sun.

We can’t fast forward.
We can’t rewind.
We walk straight through
Whatever we find.

Some days are quiet.
Some days are loud.
Some days we feel lost
In the middle of a crowd.

But even then,
We’re still here.
Still trying,
Still near.

So we make some tea.
We call a friend.
We let ourselves
Break and mend.

Not every step
Needs a reason or rhyme.
Not every road
Leads right on time.

We rest when we need to.
We speak when we can.
We cry when we’re hurting.
That’s part of the plan.

The plan is this:
To live while we’re living.
To care without guilt.
To take and keep giving.

To laugh when we can.
To pause when we’re done.
To stay in the shade.
To play in the sun.

Life isn’t perfect.
It’s crooked and wide.
But it moves either way
If we’re walking or ride.

So take one day.
That’s all you need.
Just one good breath.
Just one small seed.

It grows on its own
If you give it the chance.
Life isn’t a sprint.
It’s more like a dance.

Not all steps are pretty.
Not all lines are straight.
But one day at a time
Is never too late.

Live it today.
Just as you are.
Whether you’re near
Or dreaming far.

The rest will come
In its own sweet way.
But what we have now
Is this one day.

— Albert Swope