Both Fists Full

Picture a man walking through his front door after work. His body is home. But his hands are still clenched around his goals, his deadlines and his next big plan. He sits down at the dinner table and never really arrives.

Solomon has a line for him: “Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit.” Both fists full looks like success. It often feels like exhaustion.

The people at your table can tell when your hands are full. Kids especially. They know when you are listening and when you are somewhere else.

Try opening your hands tonight. Put the phone in another room. Let the plans wait until morning. One handful with quietness, spent with the people you love, is better than two fists full of things that can wait.