Ever had one of those seasons where life is incredibly full, there is much to carefully plan and juggle, and then something happens which adds distraction, even obsession, into the mix? And suddenly life feels not just full, but overwhelming? Yeah, that was the past two weeks for me.

There is a bit of wisdom that says, “Catch us the foxes, the little foxes, that ruin the vineyards – for our vineyards are in blossom.” It is found in the Bible, from a wee book called the “Song of Solomon”. The Song of Solomon is poetry, a love song, almost a ballad of sorts. And as so many poems, songs and ballads, it holds stunning metaphor. I have heard several explanations of this verse – some I learned from, others I disagreed with. But it is the above phrase that has dropped into my heart again and again in recent weeks as I tried to juggle the fullness of life intensified by events that pulled at my focus and my peace.

Ondrej and I spent a week painting an old house for good friends about to move into it. Though we fully anticipated it being hard work, we also thought it would be a fun little adventure to spend the week camped out in the empty house, sleeping on our camping mats, cooking on our camp stove. And it was fun. But the fun was almost stolen by my back pain. And then a spider bite. Yes, there are spiders in the UK whose bite can cause problems. But I will get to that in a minute.

We thought sleeping on the floor might help the back pain I’ve been experiencing. But it resulted in one nearly sleepless night and several very restless ones. Then towards the end of the week, I noticed an itchy bump on my inside thigh. I assumed it to be a mosquito bite and thought nothing more of it. Until the next day when the bump had become a hot, angry looking lump. I’m not one to panic about these things so I just went to straight into work. But as the bite grew bigger, angrier and more sore and Ondrej could see the necrosis setting in, I started to worry. I was covering for my boss while she was on holiday so I didn’t want it to become something that could affect my ability to work. Long story short, the GP had a look at it, gave me antibiotics and I am all healed now. But the distraction of my sore back and then the spider bite is what I want to talk about.

That week away from home painting for friends, having a wee adventure with my love was meant to be refreshing, fun, life-giving. And it was. In many ways. But that was nearly stolen by the distraction of tiredness due to the back pain and interrupted sleep. The week covering for my boss was intense already and I felt the need for all my faculties to be fully present and performing at their best. The added worry of the spider bite pulled at my focus.

This is what the wisdom in Song of Solomon 2:15 spoke into my heart across those two weeks. And still is speaking. Don’t let the little things eat away at those things that help you flourish. Don’t let the little things eat away at what helps your relationships flourish. Now, I recognise that the back pain which disrupts my sleep is not a “little” thing. And a spider bite which causes necrosis is not a “little” thing. However, the way I choose to respond is the “little” thing. Will I obsess, go into worst case scenario thinking about the bite? Will I go into pity party, never going to improve, victim mentality over my back pain? Will I allow my internal response and mind to so obsess over these events that my already full life suddenly starts to feel overwhelming and unmanageable? Will I allow my internal response to impact on my relationships with my husband, my colleagues, even the customers I serve?

I admit it – I nearly allowed the joy and gift of our week away painting to be stolen, not just from me, but from my husband. In my weariness I became vulnerable. And in my vulnerability, little unhelpful thoughts, attitudes, and mentality slipped in unnoticed, like sly wee foxes at dusk. I nearly allowed the distraction of the spider bite to steal my confidence and focus as I covered for my boss while she was away. And I allowed it to negatively impact my relationship with my husband. But this bit of wisdom for Song of Solomon kept quietly popping up in my heart, calling to me, reminding me to recentre in that moment and to guard my heart and mind from further distraction.

So how do we recentre when the little foxes sneak in and start nibbling away? I don’t have all the answers and I am still learning. But this is what worked for me.

1. Ground myself in the moment – intentionally become aware of where I am and what is happening around me in that moment, notice how I can feel the floor under my feet, the warmth of the sunshine coming through the window, the hot cup in my hands, noticing how the steam from the hot liquid rises and swirls in the light, the sound of the birds singing outside, the sound of my husband’s voice as he interacts with our two mischievous kittens
2. Breathe – I take a slow, deep breath, sometimes even closing my eyes, sometimes even needing to take a good few slow, deep breaths until I feel my heart rate slow down, and my mind comes out of that worst case scenario trap and back into the reality of the now.
3. Gratitude – I try to shift my focus from what’s distracting me, pulling at my peace, and dulling my joy onto what gifts I have been given recently, the aspects of life I am grateful for, what has been good and positive, even finding and naming the good to be found in the hard
4. Shift my mindset – from the foundation I have created through the first three steps, I remind myself that I am not a victim and I have power and control, if not over circumstances, over my own thoughts, responses and reactions. I remind myself of who I know I am, what I value, who I value and begin to think of responses I can now step into that align with who I am and my values.

Once I have followed these steps, I find the noise in my head quietens, the sense of overwhelm recedes and I can find clarity of thought again. I have caught the little foxes. Sometimes I have to do this several times a day. That’s okay. Foxes can be stubborn. I just have to stay alert, aware. Which can be tiring. But that’s better than the flourishing of my heart, mind and soul and the flourishing of my relationships being hindered. If I am intentional, I am quicker to catch the foxes before they get anywhere near my “vines”. And like I said, I’m still learning.