keeping perspective

Sometimes it feels like I'm caught in a storm, and there is water coming at me from all directions. I can't see where to go to get out of the rain. I feel lost, confused and a little scared. Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by how small and insignificant I am. I feel entirely incapable of the tasks that lay ahead, waiting for me to figure out how to tackle them. Sometimes I feel like I've sat down to an elephant for breakfast. And lunch. And dinner. 'Cause that elephant ain't gonna eat itself. And then I remember my mom telling me that the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time.
Maybe I am unique in my tendency to feel overwhelmed by life. I like to believe that I'm not, but I guess I don't really know for sure. The fact of the matter is, though, I am often feeling overwhelmed. And when I feel overwhelmed by life, my tendency is not to go out and take on the day. My tendency is leaning more towards taking a nap. Mess around on the computer. Hide. And, as I already mentioned, those elephants just don't eat themselves. So it's important for me to keep perspective.
It's important for me to remember that I'm blessed. Lucky. In my marriage. In my children. In my family and friends. In my finances. In my place of residence. In my home country. In nearly every imaginable way, I am incredibly lucky to be who I am. And while there is much yet for me to learn, ways I need to grow, the only way to do it is one small step at a time.
Perhaps I'll never be the kind of person who is excited by challenges or motivated by obstacles, but I know I can finish an elephant if I take it one bite at a time.