This month will be remembered as the month of busted shit. Car, computer, phone, a windshield- all operating at less than optimal. But none of it is a tragedy. Yes, all have racked up bills that I didn’t expect. But in the grand scheme of things… my shit is busted but I’m fine.
Even with the challenges of traveling with “busted shit,” I am now somehow deeply pleased. So I’m fine AND pleased. Yes, and this positive energy comes from realizing that I must be embracing the concept that I’m not my stuff. I also have internalized the idea that surprises happen and that’s how life works.
Okay, suni… you’re writing a blog about… ?
I think I’m writing to remind all of us that our world may seem chaotic… but that is kind of normal. The news may scream at us about how crazed, lost, bad, violent, corrupt our world may be… but I hope all of us can step back from that negative energy machine. Or turn the damn news off. You can stay aware of what’s going on around you with a bit of careful reading or tuning into NPR if you want.
When you can step back from the media machine, you get a more balanced picture of the world. I had a weird trip with stuff breaking, a room being less than I expected, a conference that was not all I had hoped BUT I also saw beautiful sights. I met interesting people. I saw some great art. I spent time with people I love. People were extra kind to me. I found some great restaurants. I was inspired.
Things didn’t go my way… but they went another way. While my plan was tossed to the wind, my real expectations were exceeded. It’s easy in our crazy, busy, stress land of a world to have one thing go wrong and stand up and scream, “WTF!!!! How can this happen. Something is WRONG!” I’ve just been reminded that life never promised to go our way. But when I relax my grip on my expectations and my PLAN, I find that life can be a river of options. If my needs aren’t met one way, they get met another. If my plan isn’t fulfilled, another plan floats by that, if I can stay open to options, I may discover that will work just as well if not better than the one engraved on my expectation list.
So the moral of the story is… relax and breathe. Try not to hold life with a grip of steel demanding things go your way. Hold this precious life gently, savoring what it brings, staying open with expectations that things will work out fine. We will lose some things, some people and likely lose our way from time to time in life. I like to remember that if I expect to enjoy my life, then life seems to send me interesting options, surprising solutions and weird but interesting twists in the road that mostly all work out quite well.
So my stuff all broke and my trip didn’t go as I planned. Now my stuff is all fixed and I have fresh insights, fond memories and renewed hope that I’m right where I’m supposed to be. The winner, once again, is me.