I Hope Today is Better Than Yesterday

I’ve had an absolutely wild couple of weeks. Everything is so busy, and my sink is always filled with dishes. (The worst part of being busy is that you still need to make and eat meals on top of everything else. Who thought up this system?) Thankfully, my life is filled with understanding and supportive people. When times get tough, my people start texting. My friends, knowing I’m trapped under a sky-high pile of work and life, have been checking in with me. They text to ask how I am, and usually write something like, “Don’t worry about responding” because they know I’m a woman with an anxiety disorder. My husband has been taking the dog for more than his fair share of walks and ordered me takeout last night. This was after I went to the wrong CVS-in-a-Target to get my flu shot and COVID booster. The world is filled with CVS-in-a-Target stores and, this week, I’ve always been at the wrong one. Metaphorically and actually.

My life is not in crisis. Nothing big is happening. I’m simply busy. But the understanding of those around me, the support I feel from those near and far, has made my heart grow three sizes.

My life is not in crisis. Nothing big is happening. I’m simply busy. But the understanding of those around me, the support I feel from those near and far, has made my heart grow three sizes. When I send a text to a friend when they are stressed, it is hard to feel like it did something. I tell myself all sorts of negative things. I tell myself, I should be there. I should get on a plane and go sit my butt in their house and be there. I have to hold on to what I’m feeling this week. I have to hold on to it the next time I hesitate to text a friend during their own busy time. I have to remind myself how much the text my friend sent earlier this week (“I hope today is better than yesterday”) meant to me! It is such a simple sentence, and it meant so much! When you’re on the receiving end of a text like that, it means something. Why do I always convince myself (when I’m the one sending it) that it was nothing at all? I worry. I hesitate. I dither. I dally. I try to think of the perfect thing to say that can encapsulate how I feel. I send nothing at all. “I hope today is better than yesterday” is enough. It was enough for me. It was more than enough for me. It was nice to know someone was thinking of me. Someone knew my yesterday wasn’t great. A simple text can mean the world. That’s a reminder for me and a reminder for you. And if you’re super busy this week? I hope today is better than yesterday.