The other day I watched this video of a determined, little snail on a garden fence. It was moving ever so slowly (it was a snail after all) from one post in the fence to the next one.
First the snail stretched its head until finally it had enough length to touch the other side.
But the little snail hadn’t made it…yet.
Then the snail slowly inched its house closer to its head, until its house was all the way across to the next post.
But the little snail still hadn’t made it…yet.
The snail continued moving its tail end closer and closer to its house, still maintain the teensiest grip on the original post. Then finally, it let go and was happily on its new post.
Okay, I’m assuming the snail was happy, but I’m absolutely sure I was! Watching that little snail’s journey was one minute and forty seconds of excruciating (albeit slow-moving) tension as I worried about whether it would make it…or not.
What’s the takeaway from my little snail friend?
The power of yet.
Life can be so big and unpredictable and messy, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed.
We face life changing events like the death of a beloved parent, partner, pet, or long-held dream. Maybe you’re grieving a loss and can’t make it through the day without breaking down crying.
Sometimes it’s the overwhelm of big, long-term projects that don’t get started on time, let along completed. Maybe you feel sandwiched in the middle, with elderly relatives on one side and children on the other? And the only thing visible is chaos.
Laundry. Dishes. Cleaning. Yardwork. Cleaning.
In every single direction.
But look what happens when you add “yet.”
Yes, you’re grieving a loss and you can’t make it through the day without breaking down crying…yet.
That one little word opens the door to possibility. Today might not be the day you get through without crying, but that day IS out there. It just hasn’t happened…yet.
When I look at all chaotic clutter and think “I haven’t gotten the laundry done / the dishwasher loaded / vacuum run / yardwork finished” and then I add a YET, it means that getting those things done is within the realm of possibility. They aren’t pipe dreams that won’t ever happen.
Yet has the power to turn my thinking around.
Maybe it has the power to turn your thinking around, too. What’s on your list of things you’d like to do but you haven’t done…yet?