For a number of years, I worked seasonally at Williams Sonoma. I loved this job. For the first couple of years, I worked the cash register but then one day, someone who worked inventory called in sick and they asked for volunteers to open boxes. “I’ll do it.” I said, thinking it would be a nice diversion.
My manager took me through the bowels of the mall to one of our inventory rooms, handed me an apron and a box cutter and left me standing in the only open floorspace available. I was literally in the corner. I remember thinking, how in the world am I going to get this done.
I opened my first box and had to stack the beautiful dinnerware from the box onto the floor. I broke down my box and opened the second box. By the time I finished the entire stack, I could scoot enough boxes to create a pathway to the dinnerware shelf to put away. Within just a few minutes, I saw a bit of order come out of chaos.
Before long, I had many pathways. Visually, I could see how opening each box made a difference. The more I worked, the better I felt. Even though I knew that the truck that came in the morning would return this room to the condition I found it in, I knew that if I left it in the best shape that I could, it would make tomorrow’s delivery go a lot smoother.
God is in all things. His lessons can be found in your ordinary day. The experiences of working in a stockroom with boxes piled taller than me with only room for me to stand were invaluable. How often do you find our lives backed in a corner with seemingly nowhere to go?
In the recovery world, we have a saying for this situation, “Do the next right thing.”
You might wonder, what is the next right thing?
My stockroom analogy can be helpful with that answer. What is in your way? Where do you need to create a pathway or an exit? Start there. Maybe you need to rest or eat. Perhaps you need to seriously consider working the steps with a sponsor. Could it be that you need to create or add to your boundaries list?
You might need to face a hard conversation. You could take a step towards living out your dreams. Perhaps you just need to eat healthy food, move your body outside, in nature and connect with God.
What do these things have in common?
YOU. They are all about you and what you have the power to change. With God’s help, you can discern how to work yourself out of whatever corner you find yourself in. Start small. Start with whatever is blocking your way to the life you want. Face the boxes. Do your own work. It adds up over time and order can be created out of chaos.
Let’s work together to help the readers out. Please leave any helpful tricks or tips in the comments. What next right did you do to help you move forward?