One stop at a time

It is hard to do things all at once. "I will quit smoking cold turkey." "Diet starts tomorrow". I'm sure you've heard all of them. People make resolutions and they don't end up sticking to them. It is not because people can't do it, or won't do it, or do not have the strength to do it, although for some people this is the case. Most of the time when someone cannot accomplish a goal they set out for themselves, it is because they took on too much at once.

But what about doing things little by little?

In regards to taking on 'hachlatos' (resolutions) in Judaism, such as davening every day, keeping Shabbos or Kashrus, or something as simple as wearing a longer skirt, we are told not to take on too much at once, otherwise there is the risk that we might end up dumping all of them. If you take on one thing and stick at it for awhile, it will become a part of you and it won't be so hard to do. And then you can take on more.

Today I walked to Williamsburg. From Crown Heights. (If you are familiar with Brooklyn, you know they are quite a distance from each other.) It took me about an hour and twenty minutes. What is funny is that had I set out to walk to Williamsburg I probably would have been overwhelmed at the distance, and given up right away.

But I just wanted to take the bus. I didn't plan in walking.

Today was Labor Day. In Crown Heights it is synonymous with the West Indies day parade, in which African Americans celebrate the culture of the Caribbean Islands. People dress up in costume, wear their national flag, play really loud music, and have fun. It takes place on Eastern Parkway, the main thorough fair in Crown Heights.

Because of the vast amount of people, (from one million to three million) it is really difficult to cross Eastern Parkway. It took about twenty minutes. Once I got across, I had to wait for the bus, which was running on a different schedule, and had been rerouted. Since it wasn't coming for awhile, I decided to walk until I found a store to buy a drink, and then wait at the next bus stop.

I still didn't see the bus. I just kept walking. My thought was, just one more bus stop. Why bother standing here idly waiting for a bus that I don't know when will come? I might as well use the time and make the distance shorter. So I walked from bus stop to bus stop, keeping an eye on the street for a bus that never came. Maybe they weren't running, I don't know. But no bus ever passed me by.

And finally, I was in Williamsburg. I was tired and sweaty, but I didn't even care. I saved 2.25 on the bus fair, (not that I really care) and it was a great walk. (Though afterwards my father told me I had walked through a bad neighborhood. What I don't know can't hurt me, right? At least in retrospect.)

So if you ever set out to accomplish a big goal, break it up into small increments that you can handle. Take it one step at a time, one day at a time, one thing at a time.

And eventually, you will get there.

Even if it takes a lifetime.