Wise Words in Unexpected Places 1/3/2021

By: Jennifer Richardson Holt

I have fought it as long as I can. We are now into a new year and I have decided to fight it no longer.  Once I heard this little bit of inspiration it certainly stuck with me as a valuable treasure of wisdom.  I suppose it was its source that deterred me from wanting to give it too much credit.  You see, when one has small children it is inevitable that the recurring animated film will plant itself into the nooks and crannies of one’s psyche.  It was from one of these fairytales that I have been immersed in a ridiculously unreasonable amount as of late that a pearl of wisdom was gleaned and quite frankly my whole family, who have all been subjected to this film on repeat, have adopted it as a a bit of a motto.  I cannot say that I ever predicted I would embrace philosophy from Disney but here we are.  I now seem to have learned a lesson that I apparently think is worthwhile, at least to the point that I am writing about it anyway.  The lesson is simply this: when one is faced with circumstances where everything is difficult and confusing and the future is a looming and somewhat disconcerting question mark, the best course of action is simply to do the next right thing.  With a recent past full of ambiguity and a brand-new year full of who knows what, this seems like a course of action that, despite it having being spoken by animated fantasy type creatures and even a corresponding song, is pretty solid advice.

If the past twelve pages of the calendar have taught us anything it is that the next page can contain pretty much anything.  We always knew we didn’t know the future but there are times that it feels like such a concept is being driven home a bit harder than we would like. I think it’s safe to say that this past year has been one of those times that the message has been a railroad spike with a sledgehammer scenario.  In days where people are torn between hoarding toilet paper and ammunition one had best have a sensible approach for how to go about the business of just living.  And it seems to me if the future is as questionable as, well, gas station sushi comes to mind, then simply taking one step at a time doing what you know to be right would be as reliable of a roadmap as any.

I find it amusing that we southerners have certain superstitions that we feel the need to follow on New Year’s Day in order to make the year a successful one.  If you aren’t from the south, then you should know we have rules about what to eat and not eat on New Year’s Day as well as what household chores you can and cannot do to prevent any malicious goings on within your household for the year.  I find it odd that since some are so staunch about following these traditions that we would lend them any credence considering those same people probably still had their plates of black-eyed peas and greens last year and yet and still we see how that turned out. I mean, most of us down here and generations of relatives to boot have been eating such food for decades if not centuries and other than the wisdom of how enhance the flavor of vegetables via pork products I don’t see how much excessive good fortune or prosperity it has brought us.  Maybe that is why when I stumbled upon an ideology that would serve us well at the start of a new year, I clung to it more tightly than the idea of not washing clothes on a specific day to preserve the lives of my family members, (though it hs felt like it very well could be lethal at times by the way I do enjoy avoiding it.)

So what exactly does doing the next right thing entail? I suppose it really and truly is as simple as it sounds.  In the movie from whence the idea came when things got bad, and I do mean really bad, I won’t go into detail as to not spoil any plotlines but when the future of everything was seemingly in a very deep dark place, then the only path was to muster the strength to take that one single step in the right direction. While some may disagree, a journey of self-discovery is not always the cure for what ails.  Sometimes if things are so dark the next step is all you can see then that is exactly what you should do.  Often it is as if the light of hope is motion activated. But luckily it is one of those really sensitive motion activated lights so every time you move forward the dark is pushed aside just enough for another step to be seen.

I think only having to muster the strength to take one step at a time is in and of itself an encouragement.  If you have ever been in that exceptionally deep pit for whatever reason you know what I mean.  The thought of having to go through weeks, months or heaven forbid, years seems like more than heavily burdened shoulders could possibly be asked to bear.  But a step, one single step can be managed.  Not having to look or think too far ahead at times can be just enough relief to make it.  I think that perhaps a struggling soul finding the will to do the small, good thing is more powerful than any giant leap by someone at their peak.

But really, even when times aren’t all that bad, maybe setting some massive future goal way off in the distance isn’t the greatest way to advance.  Maybe saying that this year is going to be your greatest year and you will accomplish all your goals and do all the amazing things isn’t really the best outlook to have? Perhaps in all the uncertainty of this world maybe setting the goal of simply being a better person today than you were yesterday is one of the wisest decisions we could make? If you are in a place full of shadows, then maybe just being kind to the next person you encounter could be your important bit of progress. I suppose if your goal is to make the best pot of greens you can then by all means accomplish that small goal.  I just wouldn’t expect my wallet to magically fill with cash once the simmering was done but at least you can say your collards had reached a new level of tasty. So as flippant as it may seem to look to advice that comes from a magical children’s tale, whether it be a matter of simplicity or survival, just do the next right thing.