In the 2 hours I have been awake, so much has happened.

The bad news: I have stepped in dog poop no less than 3 times, locked my keys in the car while it was running, set off the theft alarm at Home Depot twice (I’m innocent!), and lost one of my most precious possessions – my glasses.

I know exactly why this cascade of chaos kept occurring. Every time something unfortunate jumped up to bite me I was focusing on what I wanted to do instead of what was in front of me. As I drove home from Home Depot (after finding my glasses) I took three deep breaths and remembered to stay in the present.

This is just one of the many things I have learned from several years of cultivating a yoga practice. But you don’t have to do yoga to know that being mindful of the present will keep you focused on what’s important.

Now, the good news: My shoes are clean, I had a spare set of car keys close by, I was not accused of thievery, I found my glasses, and discovered an earring I had thought gone forever.

Not much fun, but at least I came out ahead.