Little Boxes

Do you remember those stores that sold every kind of storage container possible? I think it was called the Container Store. People who are inclined to organize love these stores. Putting things that belong in a particular category in their own special container is a great way to organize and get rid of clutter, be it in your home or office. My grandmother used to say, “There’s a place for everything and everything in its place.”  Have you ever lost your keys? Your wallet? Your cell phone? Moments of shear panic. Some people can handle it better than others. I am not in that category. Especially if it’s my cell phone. I couldn’t find it once after cleaning up the office in our new home. I had been sitting on the floor putting things I no longer needed in a pile. Guess what? My cell phone was at the bottom of the pile.

When I finished, I gathered up the stack destined for the trash and threw it away in our large trash container in the garage, completely unaware that my cell phone was included. To make matters worse, the volume was turned all the way down because it irritates my husband to hear  the myriad of sounds emanating from it,  announcing Facebook messages, texts and emails. I soon discovered my phone was missing and after much searching and panic, I thought to check the trash. Under a large stack of papers I spotted something shiny. Happy does not begin to describe the emotion.

Although I do enjoy organizing things, I am not here today to talk about the art of organizing. I am here to speak about the little boxes that exist in our lives. Several years ago I heard about this and found it both fascinating and highly significant. We all have little boxes in our lives representing the different areas peculiar to us. For example, we all have a “family” box which holds our thoughts, our beliefs and the day to day activities revolving around our own family. This may or may not include your immediate family. You might have a separate box for that, which would include a spouse or partner, children, pets, etc.

Another box might apply to your job, your finances, friends. dreams, etc. You can have as many or as few as you wish. Generally speaking, it is family, home, work and recreation. Life happens and usually there is something challenging going on in one or two of your boxes. It is said that you can cope with that without too much difficulty. The challenge comes when there is a problem in almost every box of your life. Rare, but it does happen. Let’s say work is not going well. There will be layoffs and you are unsure if you will have a job by next month. Your spouse and you are not getting along. It has been progressive and you are not sure what to do to fix it. And your mother just found out she has a terminal disease. The combination of all of these difficulties/challenges/issues can wreak havoc on your life. Understandably you become overwhelmed and closer and closer to the end of your proverbial rope. Time to reach out for help.

Most often, you only have challenges in one or two boxes, which, as I said, is doable. When it becomes more, I try to prioritize. I pray. In the really critical cases, I turn it over to God. I did just that a couple of years ago regarding three of my grandchildren who live on the East Coast. We never speak. The last time I saw them was 2016. I send them presents and cards for birthdays and Christmas but never hear back. For a brief while I was getting letters from one of them but that too has stopped. I was distressed over this situation for years. I was so troubled that my life never felt complete or satisfying. Then one day I decided I had suffered enough over something I had no control over. I gave it to God. I finally recognized they weren’t just my grandchildren but His children. It took awhile but the terrible angst I had created for myself went away. I still send cards with loving messages and gifts but I do not expect anything in return, not even a phone call. It is for God to deal with now, not me. Maybe some day things will change and maybe they won’t.

Figure out the boxes in your own life. Watch them and see where your challenges lay. Give the biggest ones, the ones you cannot control, over to the one who can handle it better than you ever could. Deal with the smaller ones as part of life. Do what you can and then move forward. Remember your priorities. Know what matters and what is the small stuff. Most of life’s problems fall into that category anyway. My father used to say, “Your biggest fears never happen.” Go with that. God bless.