That evokes another thought: There are times, blessedly, when all that is needed IS to put one foot in front of the other.

When my daughter and her husband had twins their first go 'round (neither had ever been around tiny babies and secondly, my son in law was going through kidney dialysis three times a week)they quickly became exhausted. One day my daughter called me in tears. She wasn't getting anything done, she said, and even then she wasn't getting enough sleep; she was so tired she was afaid the babies would get hurt because she fell asleep.

I told her that with the babies that young, the ONLY thing she had to do at that point was to keep them comfortable. She did NOT have to try to entertain them or make them pretty; she did NOT have to clean the house or fold the laundry or even DO the laundry until she was good and ready.

Well, the twins are now 16 years old and they have a sister two years younger and all of them are happy and healthy kids

In later years my daughter said that if she knew it would be twins again they would try again. This time, she said, it would be fun.

But one foot in front of the other got them through it, and sometimes that's good enough.