The Next Right Thing

Television and comic book writer J. Michael Straczynski once talked about being trapped high in a burning building. He said that if you ever found yourself in such a situation, you would eventually have to make a choice: Stay where you are and perish, or jump out the window and buy yourself a few more seconds to figure out what to do next.

I feel like I’ve spent a lot of the past year jumping out of burning buildings.

It’s easy to be overcome by adversity. Events are so big and we are so small. In the face of a rising tide of discouragement and disappointment, how do we keep our sense of hope and our determination to succeed?

Musicians use the phrase poco a poco - Gradually. Little by little.

In the animated film Frozen II, Princess Anna has reached the end of her rope. She has lost her sister and her best friend. She has just been confronted with a terrible truth about her family. She is alone and trapped in a dark place. She doesn’t know what to do.

And then she remembers the words of an old friend: 

"Do the next right thing.”

Her song echoes this sentiment:

“I won't look too far ahead

It's too much for me to take

But break it down to this next breath

This next step

This next choice

Is one that I can make.”

One breath. 

One step. 

One choice. 

Some days, that’s all you can do.

And that’s enough.