Dear Folks,

“Shave by the Headlights.” Ok, that may seem nonsensical. And explaining might make it more confusing. But let me try. I hate shaving. When I entered religious life, I was traumatized by the fact that now I had to shave EVERY DAY! I would whine about it, try to not shave, and get called out by my superiors for not shaving. One day in Mexico, the head of our community said to me, “Shave by the Headlights.” Huh? I literally pictured taking my razor

and shaving in the early morning hours by the light of our car’s headlights. He went on to say that when driving it is always much easier to drive by the light of the headlights, able to see what is in front of you and just dealing with it. Imagine if you tried to drive only by looking behind you, or if you always had to backtrack to catch the turns that you missed because you are reacting after the car has passed. If we take care of unpleasant tasks first thing when the present themselves, they just are no real big deal. It is the agony, whining, and avoidance that make simple tasks a big deal. Or to use another cliche, we can avoid turning mountains into molehills by just shaving by the headlights.

Yes, I still often celebrate a day off by not shaving (even if I spend all day working, I feel as if I got some sabbath rest)! But the ridiculous image of literally