Today was one of those days when I search for stamina, patience, and perspective. There's too much to do. My attention is needed by many people in many capacities. I won't ever get everything done. I can't possibly meet everyone's needs. Frustration and fear lurk, but I know they will only make everything worse.

So I search for a different way. I find a deep breath, and I try to dig deep, to find my sense of humor, and to plug away. I just keep telling myself a line I read by Gretchen Rubin recently, "By doing a little bit each day, you can get a lot accomplished." I may not be able to cross anything major off my to do lists, but I am getting lots of little bits done. I have to have faith that by plugging away I will somehow get done what is truly important.

And I give myself permission to make this Elul practice a priority. I trust that this time, this practice, this turning inwards is essential to my search not only for stamina, patience, and perspective but also in my bigger search, the one that I can't even quite articulate about meaning and purpose. The one that Elul and the High Holidays so generously invites us to explore.