Toast, Meet Bread

I am fascinated by the almost, that spot between we’re good here and what the fuck just happened. You know the place I mean. You have bread in the toaster. It’s almost ready; then you take a call. Your 5-grain jam breakfast just became a smoldering crisp which you then throw in the trash. The almost is that space between having a lovely conversation and I must have said something wrong. You’re friends; then you’re not. You’re married, then divorced. You’re home-full, then home-less.

I am fascinated by the almost because of the potential it holds.

Lives are made and broken in that space. Do I want my child to play, learn, and explore in a happy, contented manner? Or do I want a meltdown that ends with me angry and him in timeout? Do I want to take a chance and approach the potential love of my life? Or do I want to hold back in fear, never knowing what could have been? That space. It’s a powerful spot.

What happens in that place comes down to the choices we make in that particular moment.

I chose to take the call that burned my bread. I chose to say what I said to my friend, ending our relationship. I chose to ignore my child’s need for a snack, resulting in frustration for us both. If we can choose for the worse, we can also choose for the better. We can do that, too. We can save room for coffee with a friend, make a date night with a spouse, or confide a personal struggle when we’re down. We can make those choices just as easily as we make the rest.

And just as our actions can be “almost moments” in our own lives, they can also be turning points for the lives of those around us. OUR actions can make or break the life of a friend, family member, neighbor, and even a stranger. We set the phone aside and focus our fullest attention on a conversation during dinner. We acknowledge a stranger’s truth, even though it may differ from our own. We drop food at a neighbor’s door, take the call that burns our toast, rethink the discussion with the friend. We move beyond the fear we feel and express the love we have for another.

Each moment of each day, we have the potential to lift or destroy—even when we are just moving about the world doing our own everyday thing. Whether we help someone move away from homelessness, anger, or sadness, whether we contribute to their self-esteem or break it down, whether we let them know they are loved or can dare have hope in a difficult situation, THIS is THEIR almost moment.

And this. And this.