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Magazine Features
Muddling Along
by Janene Wolsey Baadsgaard
Have you ever had one of those days where you wish you'd stayed in bed? I remember a day like that.
The dishwasher had malfunctioned,
flooding our
house all night as we slept. We
didn't know until one of our
sleepy-eyed children came into
our bedroom early in the morning
and said, "Mom and Dad! It's
raining in the basement!"
The room that was hardest
hit was the storage room where
we'd recently carefully stacked
and dated our pride and joy, a
two-year supply of food. In a
mad dash to save anything we
could, every member of our
family hauled each bucket and
box out into the back yard to
dry out. It took hours.
Just when we finished, we
heard a clap of thunder, looked
up, and felt several drops splash
in our eyes. Then the heavens
were opened and the few drops
immediately became a downpour.
We regrouped and quickly
hauled our soggy mess into the
garage.
When we finally got every
box and bucket into the garage,
my son came running to me
in tears, informing me his pet
rabbit was dead. After finally
getting the children off to
school, my daughter called from
campus saying she couldn't
remember where she'd parked
the car at BYU. Then my other
first-grader had an accident that
required a change of clothing.
You get the picture.
"I can't handle any more," I
said to my husband.
"You don't have to handle it,"
my husband replied. "There's
no rule book somewhere that
says you have to go through life
handling everything. Just muddle,
Jan. I've been muddling for
years and no one can tell the
difference."
Muddle, I thought. I think I
can muddle.
Now every time I'm feeling
overwhelmed, I remember
my husband's timely advice.
Frankly, I've been muddling
ever since and so far no one can
tell the difference, just like he
promised.
I remember a day when I
walked into the kitchen to find
my young son surrounded by
the large white buckets where
I stored our flour, sugar, and
pasta. He was busy scooping--
sugar into the flour--rice into
the sugar--pasta into the rice.
The whole kitchen looked like a
white billowing cloud except for
my son's innocent grin and two
large blue eyes staring up at me.
"Look, Mom. I'm the bread
maker!" my young son said as he
looked up at me.
Suddenly it dawned on me
that whenever I made bread I
pulled out all the white buckets
and started scooping. He was
trying to be like me.
My feelings of frustration
melted into love. I was so proud
of him for trying. As we got busy
cleaning the kitchen, I realized
God loves us like that. No matter
how big the mess or mistake
we've made, God provides us
with a Savior to help us clean
it up. That is the essence of
muddling.
Muddling is not mediocrity.
Muddling allows us to stop
keeping up appearances or worrying
that we'll never measure
up. Muddling is accepting our
humanness and inadequacies.
Muddling is realizing there are
some messes only Christ can
clean up. And muddling is seeing
our worth through God's
eyes and never giving up hope
that things will work out.
Find this and more insightful
stories in 15 Secrets to a Happy
Home from Spring Creek Book
Company.
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Catherine in Douglas, Georgia
I liked this article. It reminds me of what I aways tell everyone, "Just do your best and God will do the rest". This article should be ispiring to each of us because we all have days like that. Thanks for sharing.
Mary Beth in North Carolina
I loved it. What a great perspective. I only wish I had learned it earlier. What stress I could have saved myself from experiencing.
SherRon in Utah
Thank you for your article on muddling. i've been muddling for years and didn't know it. Knowing that God understands our muddling is a great comfort.
Deborah in Derby, England
This article reminded me of an Ensign articles from years ago about "quality time and quantity time" with your children. It talked about how our children learn when they see us do everyday things that we dont realise they are aware of. In the same way our children learn how we feel about the gospel as they see us go about our daily lives. I totally agree that there are some messes only the saviour can clean up and I sometimes wonder how he has time do deal with anyone elses!
Cynthia in Arcadia, CA
I so appreciate this article because it reminds us to see beyond what is happening and to see the bigger picture. This is a reminder we all need. Plus, I was laughing out loud. Thank you!
Kalia in Nauvoo, Illinois
I really liked the simpleness of your message. It didn't require a great amount of time, or effort to read or understand. Yet it provided just a brief, small "aha" moment for me. Thank you.
colleen in new hampshire
I truly enjoyed this article. It helped me with perspective,something that feels a bit foggy to me right now.I know how true it is that there are some messes that only Christ can clean up and yet sometimes I try to do it all myself. And what I've found when I try to "clean it up myself" is that I usually make a bigger mess. Thank you for this sweet reminder of our Savior and his abilities and desire to help me.
Kathy in Thatcher, AZ
I loved this article. My philosophy for years has been "fake it 'til you make it" which is the same as muddling, as near as I can tell. Super Mom is a myth. We need to quit being so hard on ourselves. Just do your best and enjoy the journey.
Doris in Scottsdale, Arizona
I loved this article! It is so surprising how often we put ourselves in the position of feeling inadequate just because we can't do everything! Thank you so much for putting the principal of "enduring" into such relatable words.
Toni in Waterloo, New York
My husband and I have had a very long and hard last few years. We have experienced the death of a daughter (my step-daughter), job loss and several surgeries. On top of all of this, my husband and I both decided to go back to school. With two young children, this was not an easy decision. Long story short, I have not always handled the stress well....having lost my patience many times especially with my oldest and "toughest" child. I had been praying to know how I stood with Heavenly Father...Had I really been forgiven? Could I really move forward and let go of the guilt? I had just been pondering these questions after a long walk when I happened to open a bulk email...and read your article. Thank you soooo much. I know I have "muddled" things up pretty good...but I do know that the Savior is there for me to help "clean" things up. May God Bless you and your family.
Crystal in AZ
Jan, you are so right on! It is more fun to muddle, too! You don't have to worry about being a "perfectionist", just BE. Thanks!