My mind could win a gold medal at being sidetracked. I like to think that’s a sign of creativity—even genius–but it’s far from that. No athlete gets a medal for skating or swimming into another lane. Not being focused gets us out of bounds. (I bet we all have wondered, “What am I doing here?” or “What did I come here for?”) Then we bring our mind back into bounds and realize our lack of attention only gives us more steps—unnecessary ones—in our day.

“OK, Valerie,” I tell myself. “Now you’ve lost some precious minutes retracing your steps.” So? I try—when I remember! —to get some good from my sidetrack. While I’m going back up or down the stairs, while I’ll going into the room where I should have been in the first place, I pray, “Praise and thanks!” Three words that are adoration, lifting my scatter-brained head to God, turning my heart in the direction where it should always be. For this, “Praise and thanks!”