The last few days have been trying, to say the least.
Amidst the usual December rush and growing list of things undone, I have a sick child at home.
A quick check from the doctor was enough to warrant further tests from the hospital lab. With my baby in tow, I started to make my way from the doctor’s office to the hospital when a feeling of freedom came over me. Not a freeing of my mind and spirit from the stress of the moment, but rather, a freeing of my foot from its encasing. I looked down and confirmed my fear. My slipper had burst.
Right there in the doctor’s office.
As I held my feverish child in my arms.
On my way to the hospital.
Right then it became clear that I had a choice. I could let the emotional angst and overwhelm of the whole matter amplify my physical conundrum, or, I could see this for what it was: a mere inconvenience.
Not a hall pass for a meltdown.
Not the fine print from Murphy’s Law.
Not a visual of the chaos that was threatening to upend my peace.
I chose to see it for what it was: a burst slipper.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
The inconvenience of it all paled in comparison to the task at hand. And so I asked for some tape, pretended I was a good Girl Scout, and was on my way.
It seems insignificant now. But in that moment the choice that I made was a powerful one. It was the difference between overwhelm and strategy. Between confusion and clarity. Between vanishing hope and perspective.
Whatever you are facing now, know that you always have the ability to choose. You may not have a say in your circumstances, but you are the only one who can dictate your response.
You may find that intentionally choosing calm and breath over angst and panic may yield more peace.
You may find that even though problems abound, there can be solutions that may not make the problems disappear, but make you better equipped for your mission.
You may find that what you initially thought was a signal that everything around you was crumbling, may be just the foundation of intention that you needed to see things more clearly.
Take a breath. And, if you must, grab some tape.
But keep going.