Beacons of light

Things happen. And we can deem them a disaster or the fruition of our desire. Or something in between. It really depends on our state of mind. Because as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow, things happen. Whether we like it or not.

Every day we have the chance to look at the moments that occur any way we like. When the conditions are just so, we might choose to look at the bright side of life. But if we have been bogged down with a multitude of drama, we may not be in any state of mind to handle those moments of opportunity lightly.

Today I chose the Slow road. And in placing myself in a state of bliss, everything that happened around me seemed to be a gift.

The plumber showed up slightly later than he claimed he would, but that didn’t matter. It gave me enough time for my first cup of coffee.

The tile man showed up just when he said he would. To the minute. By then the caffeine and my reinstalled tub were flowing nicely.

In the midst of my bathroom renovation, a nice police woman showed up at my doorstep to warn me that my car was parked illegally. Instead of calling the tow company, she decided to pay me a visit. The parking ticket rested neatly on my windshield, but I chose to celebrate her kindness for preventing an even more costly episode.

And then, after the plumber, the police woman and the tile guy had left, I experienced another miracle.

In the blazing midday heat, I set off to purchase a stuffed animal for my friend who is celebrating his birthday this weekend. Instead of gifts, he proposed his guests donate to the International Humane Society. I was keen on symbolizing my donation with a toy dog that should resemble his own live one. After going to several shops, I found the perfect one.

I placed the newly purchased stuffed puppy in my pull cart side pocket, checking on him periodically to ensure his safe delivery to the grocery store and then home. At some point, he decided to hop out of the cart and onto the sidewalk. I didn’t notice until I was well into my grocery store experience. So I left my shopping cart and retraced my steps in the hopes I could find him.

I did not.

So I went back to the toy store and bought another one, explaining to the cashier that the stuffed puppy had gone missing.

“Should someone have taken him, well,” I exclaimed, “that person must have needed him more than I.” She smiled, agreeing that perhaps the mishap may have made a child’s day.

But it turned out differently than we both expected.

As I headed back to the grocery store with my pull cart in tow, I suddenly saw the stuffed puppy perched on the edge of the plaza fountain. He was waiting patiently for me all long. He surely wasn’t there when I passed by the first time. As I stuffed him gently into my purse, I smiled at a nearby couple sitting in a café adjacent to me.

“Indeed,” I said to them, “Miracles happen.”

Things happen. Yes they do. It is up to us to see them as miracles. Magic is everywhere. The choice is truly ours to discover it wherever we go.

 

 

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