Do you go down the rabbit hole?
Today I had the distinct pleasure of opening up one of my favorite jars of jam—I could hardly wait. However, once opened, the top surface had an unknown something inside the jar. “Ew!” Oh, it’s not going to harm you, said a gravelly sounding voice in the back of my head. Mmm . . . I don’t know. No, don’t think so. Maybe if I try to spoon it out. No, don’t think so. I know, I’ll show it to my husband. He’ll eat anything. Oh, that’s so mean, but it’s true! He would be the first to tell you.
Life is filled with hidden surprises and disappointments for that matter. Luckily, I had a second jar of jam, where I could make my delicious afternoon snack. In many ways, if something doesn’t work out, it may be that you are being redirected elsewhere for wonderful reasons yet unknown.
Several weekends ago, I had prepared our home to receive visitors. It would be a busy weekend, but my husband and I were looking forward to it. The first visitors arrived as expected and we enjoyed their company. The following day however, we received a cancellation email from our second expected guests due to impending weather. “Oh, that’s too bad,” I said. “I was really looking forward to their visit.” Major bummer.
My mood shifted for all of about 10 minutes when I realized it was not meant to be. This was not the weekend they were meant to visit us, and I then released my disappointment—just like that.
This reminds me of when I was a little girl running outside around our house with absolute abandon, and then suddenly tripping on something. Down I went, with a scraped knee afterwards. Sure, it hurt for a bit, but then I’d get back up and resume playing and leaving the hurt behind.
It is only when we have an attachment to things or outcomes where the possibility of pain can develop. However, if we can adopt an attitude of not forcing events to occur, we then have the opportunity to live in greater harmony. And this is how a disappointment can become a blessing in disguise. “Oh Honey, could you come here for a minute . . .”