- Bethany
Plenty
At Least
I can vacuum
Even if I can’t wash the floors today
At Least
I can make some salad
Even if I can’t cook an actual meal today
Leaves in a bowl with simple dressing
Otherwise I am too tired to make lunch
A bad sign
At Least
I can go for a walk
Even if I can’t run or go to the gym today
At Least
My dog will be happy
At least
I can put the dishes on the counter
Even if I can’t wash them today
At Least
I can get out of bed
Even if it’s only to lie on the couch
Doomscrolling
Because when I vacuum
I have kept my house from utter decay
It’s enough for today
Because when I make a salad
I have eaten a vegetable
It’s enough for this meal
Because when I walk
I feel the sun on my face
And laugh at my dog frolicking suddenly in the grass
It’s enough for this moment
Because when I put the dishes on the counter
I help myself wash them tomorrow
It’s enough for the future
When I only have the energy for one thing
I must choose wisely
I open my eyes and think
At Least
Don’t let it win so early in the day
When I get out of bed
Then, oh, then I am at the peak of optimism
I have done the first thing of the day
A day in which I will tell myself
“Just this one thing, then you can rest. Just one more thing. Think of the dog.”
Over and over
A mantra
And I know that all these At Leasts
Will tick by, will add up
Even as time feels like unbearably slow
And each day an unsolvable equation
I trust, quietly
That one day I will realize that each At Least has
Led me back to myself.
To love.
To brighter days.
It’s enough for right now,
Whatever I’m doing
At Least is more than enough
It is Plenty.