Thank you, ma’am
Some days you think that your life sucks. In that moment, it may actually feel really crappy. You can't see anything but yuck and you have probably forgotten the thousands of things that are actually okay or even amazing. It happens to everyone.
Driving to the grocery store earlier today, I stopped at a red light. A car slowly pulled up next to me. In the passenger seat was a woman that was probably in her late 80s. The window was down and she was wearing a big winter cap on her head. You may have heard in the news that the Pacific NW just went through a heat wave with temperatures that were the highest since the 1800s when record keeping began. It was insane. This part of the world isn't used to that heat. People, animals, plants, you name it...struggling, suffering and simply not prepared for heat like that. With decades of experience from living in Phoenix, I hid from the sun. I tried to walk my dog, Pilot, for 37 minutes one morning at 10am and came home burnt. Don't worry, I kept Pilot on the grassy areas to protect her paws. We both collapsed once we got in the house. A bird landed in our backyard and stopped moving. My husband became its caregiver for over three hours and nursed it back to health with water and blueberry juice (for real). It was $%^&@?% hot!
So back to the woman next to me in the car. Looking at her, I couldn't help but question her ultra thick winter cap. My heart broke for her. Thoughts of why she needed that cap flowed through my head. Was she cold because her body couldn't keep warm? Did someone dress her and not pay attention to the heat? Was her hair too messy or unkempt to be in public? The list went on and on. I looked at her sitting there with her shoulders slumped forward wondering where she was headed, if she was happy, if she did everything she wanted in this life, if she was ready to move on from this world.
This gracious woman was my "perspective shift" today. She may not have known it but she helped me get back to my center. I didn't even know I was off-center. I could feel the gratitude flow in. I was able to be grateful for basic things like being able to shower and get ready by myself, being able to hop around in my flip flops playing with Pilot, being able to hold my body in positions while doing yoga, being able to jump in my SUV and go anywhere I want whenever I want...even by myself if that's what I want. Before my intersection with this woman, I was focused on the things I didn't do in the past and my fears about the future. I just needed her nudge to get my body and mind back into the present. Thank you ma'am. Thank you for helping me. I am grateful for you.
When you're moving along your path and things feel heavy, unclear or just crappy...take a moment to find your center. Look around and find three things that you are grateful for. Shift that energy. Shift those thoughts. Shift your perspective. It doesn't take much to find your way back to center. Look for the signs, the people, the messengers. Listen so that you can hear their important message.