Bob: I can’t do that. It’s too big!
Dr. Leo: Baby steps, Bob. Baby steps.
— What About Bob? Directed by Frank Oz, Touchstone Pictures, 1991. Film.
What About Bob? is a movie which came out in 1991. It is a black comedy that stars Bill Murray (Bob) as an irritating patient and Richard Dreyfuss (Dr. Leo) as his psychiatrist. I knew the term “baby steps” before the movie, but seeing a humorous, likable character working through his problems while using this simple phrase gave me something tangible to visualize. In another scene Bob has this conversation with a bus driver:
Bob: Baby step on the bus, baby step on the bus . . .
Driver: Last bus to Lake Winapinasaukee, Bob!
Bob: I know Minh, just give me a moment. Baby step to the stairs.
Driver: Would you be able to board today? We have a “baby” schedule to keep.
The idea behind the phrase is to take small steps with an eye toward a bigger goal. I like the phrase because simply taking one small step seems easy. The problem usually occurs in actually continuing to take baby steps. I tend to want everything now. Sometimes I don’t continue taking steps because goals or projects feel overwhelming, intimidating, or unachievable. And, with a short attention span, I usually forget that I am even working on some larger goal by taking baby steps.
On March 11, 2020 the World Health Organization declared that we were officially in a pandemic because of COVID-19. The disease had spread into at least 114 countries and had killed more than 4,000 people. Because of this announcement, schools and businesses began to close. I started working from home on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. As I gathered items from my office on Monday afternoon (the day before) to bring home, I had no idea I would still be working from home six months later. After all, I had never been in a pandemic. The last one was the 1918 Flu Pandemic. What was I supposed to think? We were all headed into uncharted territory.
On that first day, I began a mini-blog on Facebook to begin each day with music.
Day one. Tuesday. March 17, 2020
Day one of working from home. Got my computer and iPhone set up to do all the normal things I do in the office where I work. Next, let’s start the day with music. This song has been on my mind all morning. I love this early performance in its simplicity and innocence.
I shared a video link to a live performance from 1965 of Simon & Garfunkel singing “The Sound of Silence.” That is one of my favorite songs and their performance is stunningly beautiful. I have continued this mini-blog on Facebook every morning during the pandemic.
Being an introvert, it did not bother me so much to be isolated. My plan was to use what extra time I might have to work on creative projects. During a normal week, I work (including travel back and forth) about 48-50 hours. (That is between two jobs—one full-time in an office and the other as choir director/organist in an Episcopal church.) That leaves me with little time or energy to do much else.
I am still working both jobs, but it does not require quite so many hours when working from home. It took a while (months) for me to settle into doing things I really wanted to do. At first my husband and I did tasks like paint the deck and clean house. I followed that with organizing files on my computer and organizing notebooks and materials with creative projects in my home office.
Saturday. June 20, 2020
On the first day of summer, I decided to take some time for myself and begin a yoga routine. I started getting up and doing yoga first thing every morning. It has been important for me to have this time to relax and to begin the day physically centered and mentally focused.
Thursday. July 2, 2020
I began a segment on facebook called “Tonight’s Dinner Music.” I take a picture of the album cover of the music my husband and I are listening to during dinner. The first one was Randy Newman’s album “Land of Dreams.” One of the reasons I do this is to get people’s mind off of some of the difficult things going on in the world—if only for a moment.
When organizing my computer files and emails, I found some writing prompts that I had used in 2014. I also found an article, “Create a Daily Writing Habit.” The writer suggested to start building the habit by writing ten minutes a day and gradually adding to that. (Baby Steps!) That writing has turned into this blog which I am now sharing. Here is part of what I wrote that first morning.
Saturday. July 18, 2020
Being creative is difficult. At least it is for me. I struggle with settling on creative projects, working on projects and finishing projects.
Ideas sparking around in my head and ideas flowing through me aren’t invited, but rather show up unannounced and randomly. It can be a daunting task to figure out what all these ideas want to be. They don’t tell me that. Ideas shoot around in my brain, compete with each other, and often come so quickly I can’t fully understand them. Sometimes they stop mid-stream and say, “Oh, you can’t do this.” Or they may say, “This is too complicated to unravel to the eventual outcome.” My brain becomes like tangled train tracks leading nowhere, but at the same time everywhere.
To honor the muse, I always write any ideas or word phrases on a piece of paper and toss them into a drawer—my “idea” drawer. Periodically I will pull out an idea and work on it—maybe write a song or an essay or a short story or include it in my unfinished memoir. There are many choices. And, that begins the dilemma. What is this idea? What does it want to be? Do I have to tell it what it is? Do I need to shape it into something?
Today. This day. I am going to begin working this out. It is about time to try. At this point, I have the time to try. What am I going to do? I am going to write everyday—even for just five or ten minutes. Surely the process of writing, of articulating my thoughts and ideas will help me straighten them out . . . to find their purpose. I will practice working them out and listening to see where they lead—maybe even get to the destination. Maybe not the destination, but a destination. That would be a good thing.
Thursday. July 30, 2020
We set up an extra turntable in the kitchen so we could listen to our LPs as well as our CDs. It takes up room on the island, but it is totally worth it.
Friday. September 4, 2020
I have never really been a coffee drinker. I went through a phase about ten years ago where I drank coffee every morning, and I stopped at some point because the caffeine seemed to make my heart race. On September 4, I began drinking coffee again because I wanted to see if this would give my brain a little more energy and clarity.
Saturday. September 5, 2020
I have been walking a little during the pandemic . . . but I have not been consistent. Today I decided to use a timer and to begin walking for ten minutes every day. We have a very long, narrow house with a long hall that connects all the rooms. First, I put my iPhone on the kitchen table with the timer going. I begin in the kitchen, walk through the music room, down the hall past the library, past my office, to the bedroom and turn around. During my walk, I plan the day’s creative projects. Gradually I will add time to the ten minutes, but I am beginning small (Baby Steps!) with something I know I can accomplish.
Day 185. Thursday. September 17, 2020
Today marks six months that I have been working from home. The Covid-19 Pandemic is not over. Schools and some businesses are working to find ways to return. Some have begun in-person activities. For the moment I am still at home.
Day 209. Sunday. October 11, 2020
Today marks seven months that I have been working from home. Tomorrow, the office where I work goes back to regular in-person hours. I must say I am thankful for the time I have had at home to begin new routines and creative ventures. However, I am nervous about being around people. I have been very careful to avoid any exposure to Covid-19.
Baby steps—small doable actions consistently practiced that build into habits. Baby steps help us reach our goals. While we often look at the goal as the objective . . . just maybe it is in the everyday doing and being that is important. Noticing and enjoying the very moments that are the building blocks of time . . . of life . . . of OUR life—that is the goal.
Thursday. December 17, 2020
Today, I continue my baby steps with publishing this blog to share my journey. My journey with music, life, and creativity. I look forward to our travels together!
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Have you ever used baby steps to create new habits or to help you move toward a goal? Tell me about it in the comments below. We can encourage each other!
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