The best we can do

“I’m going to do the best I can.”

In the midst of an increasingly busy life, I have found myself saying that nearly every day.

I said it as we headed out to our tailgate Thursday night, later than we normally do.

I said it to a young man as we drove away from a frustrating meeting.

I said it Friday morning as I sketched out a to-do list that seemed especially challenging.

I think “the best we can do” is the most we can ask of ourselves. We’re humans, after all. Fallible. We try to help but we can’t cure cancer, or heal hearts, or foster reason in stubborn people. We need divine intervention for that. So we try our hardest, and we pray.

I also think “the best we can do” is the least we can ask of ourselves. The finiteness of our days requires us to sprint to the finish of them. We should be developing our talents, building our muscles, feeding our intellect and listening to our conscience every day.

We owe “the best we can do” to ourselves and the world around.

I am happy to report that my mantra led me to have a spectacular weekend.

I did the best I could to corral a bunch of people with conflicting schedules into a contented family.

On Friday, I checked every single thing off my to-do list and still managed to end the day at a great concert. My mom and I saw Steve March-Tormé’s tribute to his dad, Mel Tormé. The evening turned out to be a celebration of excellent musicianship and familial love. I really enjoyed it.

Saturday, we spent some time figuring our cars and logistics so everyone could get everywhere they needed to be. When the restaurant we went to for lunch turned out to be closed, we did the best we could with the situation and found a table at the place next door. Guess what? We all had the best lunch any of us has had in a long time.

I highly, highly recommend Taste of Istanbul in Green Bay. Get the lunch special for two. It will feed your whole table of four.

Later, when the men in our group decided they didn’t want to float down the river after all, we ladies did the best we could.

We ended up having a lovely, relaxing, soul-satisfying afternoon. Ahhhhh!

Somehow, after a whole day of doing the best I could, I ended the night with my daughters, jammied up and watching Ever After, a truly lovely way to wind down.

I spent Sunday determined to do everything I needed to get ready for a busy week, and I still managed to enjoy a good workout, a church service where I got to sit behind not one, but three adorable babies, a chocolate chai blended with skim milk, and a good dinner with family and friends.

I’m so tickled with how my weekend ended up that I’m going to continue muddle on, doing the best I can with this crazy life and asking for a little divine intervention for the things I can’t control.

Let’s go!