one day at a time

[Chestertonian]

for a long time therapists and other professionals tend to suggest mindfulness type stuff not specifically meditation but just focusing on breathing (which is entirely mechanical for me).. being fully present in the moment.  My wife has been through a lot of trials and the one thing she said she took away from the years of her childhood living with  her gay uncle and his partner (who were recovering addicts) they always used to say "we live one day at a time in this house."

I have never thought that way... My neuotic brain still stews over things that happened when I was in grade school and worries about how my sons are going to find work when a great many jobs will be replaced by robots.   Live one day at a time but don't stop contributing to your 4101k and your IRA

But my wife does have a way of putting one foot in front of the other and just making it day to day.  It's the only way to survive she say

my older son is 8.5 and the little guy is 2... the 2 year old lives in the moment and i love observing him play. He is 100% engrossed at what he does.. as he moves about he's getting a sense of what his body can do and he has a fearlessness about him that our older guy never had.  This little one sees no danger in climbing into the lazy susan and getting stuck, jumping off my bed (which can be raised somewhat higher than normal beds.. climbing on top of the refrigerator.

My 8 year old was more cautious.. always putting thought into where he put his feet.  He never tried to climb to the top of the fridge and remind the Mrs how long it's been since someone cleaned on top of there

he seems to have my neurotic nature... he will tell the same story about the time his friend said something hurtful 2 years ago...long reconcciled grievances but he will talk about holidays that are 6 months away or talk about this thing he wants to build when one of his friends comes over.. my wife gets overwhelmed thinking in advance because life is unpredictable and she doesn't want to promise things and then let him down if something happens

sometimes he can't sleep because he worries about a recital 2 months away or he worries about death, things he can't control.  He worries about his classmates and whether his 2 year old brother will go to the same school as he does

I have been trying to help him learn to calm himself down which is difficult because I was never good at it.  sometimes I try to do "grounding exercises" which is when you look at your surroundings and try to orient yourself to your time and place it is not 6 months from now... it's only today etc but I feel guilty almost?  I don't know why because God is outside of time so I don't know why I feel guilty and I'm not sure if I should listen to my guilt

[Non Nobis]

Don't worry; but if you do don't worry about worrying!

No need to feel guilty, not even about "worrying too much", not even if other people say "what's wrong with you".  Relax and trust in God; but if you are a little neurotic (I am that way too) then God knows you are not worrying intentionally!

Also, definitely do not feel guilty about NOT worrying, which is maybe what you meant. It is definitely OK to trust in God to handle what is coming up in the future and what already happened in the past! Taking care for the present, and reasonable concern for the future shouldn't be painful, and there's no need to be concerned for what can no longer be changed.

But.. the REFRIGERATOR?