So I walked out of work yesterday to discover that I had a flat tire. A coworker had this cute little pump that you plug into the lighter and it pumps up your tire - he was kind enough to pump me up and I went off in search of someone who could fix my tire or sell me a new one. I had not gotten very far at all when my battery light came on and the power steering went out. Ruh-roh.

I was right in the middle of the interstate
.
Right in the middle of rush hour. Yikes!

I took the first exit and made it to a safe place, the parking lot of the YMCA, where I discovered radiator fluid flowing rapidly from the front of my car.

Who did I make angry yesterday? What did I do to deserve this cosmic slap? Whose karma did I stomp all over? A flat AND a breakdown? Who does that happen to?

But then I thought...I am in a safe place. I could be stranded on I-277 in the middle of all that traffic. This could have happened on the way to the beach this weekend to celebrate my son's 25th birthday.

Yes, I know I'm too young to have a 25 year old. But I digress.

Anyhoo - Stuff breaks. Things happen. It's called life.

I have a friend who is so keyed up all the time. The least thing upsets her. Challenges at work, traffic. She flies into a tailspin and it ruins her mood for hours, much to the dismay of everyone around her. It can't be good for her blood pressure, and it pains me to see her spend so much of her time in a state of unhappiness.

Remain calm, all is well.

How you choose to look at things makes all the difference. You can choose to shake your fist at the heavens and ask "Why me?", or you can look for the grace that is all around us every day. If you aren't focused on how incompetent and stupid the driver in front of you is then you might just notice the beauty of the fall foliage right next to you along the road. If you aren't so focused on what is going on in your life, you might notice the coworker who is struggling with something and miss an opportunity to serve someone else.

Ann Voskamp has written a simply beautiful book called One Thousand Gifts: Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. Here's the link:
http://www.aholyexperience.com/one-thousand-gifts-book/

I really can't recommend this enough. Life is too short people, and too precious. Will you make your next challenge a condemnation from the gods or a minor inconvenience? Will you see the brilliant Maple leaves or stop to help the friend who is hurting?

The choice is yours.