Wednesday Wisdom: Picking Up What The Universe Lays At Our Feet

This morning I woke-up with a smile but as the days tasks began rolling into my head; the words I spoke out of anger to a family member, the upcoming engagements of life in general began crowding my head space. My smile turned to a frown. Even when the hubs asked what was up, I knew my response needed to be tamed because all the junk I was irritated about was not important.

I needed a little comfort so treating myself and my co-worker Reesha to a little breakfast was in order. This morning I had already knocked out a few tasks so I wasn't in a rush when I decided to detour for a fancy coffee to really flip my mood around.

Anyone whose been to the new Starbucks off of 40th in Yakima knows that stupid drive-through line gets insanely long. People are willing to break all kinds of road rules to ensure they don't have to go inside but that wasn't going to be me today.

Ready for it? The line on the inside was almost as long as the outside. It wasn't moving too slow but slow enough that the person in front of me, with just two in front of them, bailed. Mumbling to himself about not having time for this. When it was finally my turn I locked eyes with the barista and stopped in my tracks. She looked like she was about to cry. I didn't catch what the old man had said in front of me, but this poor lady was breaking. I asked if she was ok, but she couldn't respond. She whispered something to her coworker and escaped to the back room to unleash what I assumed was a ton of tears.

In that moment I snapped out of my funk. Nothing is worth allowing a stranger to dictate your day. To ruin your mood, to make you cry in your coffee. But it happens to all of us all the time.

That is where being mindful for me stepped in today and has been helping me slowly recover a healthy body and mind. I was present and aware of this poor ladies pain. I acknowledged I saw her and reached out to comfort, even if she was struggling to accept it. I was in the moment and present. Most of the time, I am not. Most of us aren't. I could have unleashed my own anxieties that morning on her and then REALLY would have seen the tears fly. But why? Why are we snapping at each other all the time?

In the few moments of quiet we have, we fill it with phone calls, text messages and scrolling through social medias. We're watching everyone's "picture perfect" lives, comparing ourselves and causing anxiety. We run around with our hair on fire when earlier in the day we took 20 minutes to watch a video on cats and how they steal other people's socks and then complain that we don't have time to get anything done.

Take a chill, a deep breath, a moment to remind yourself to be present. You might get off on taking on more tasks then you were asked too but don't get all crazy when no one acknowledges you for it. No one asked you to do it in the first place. Real talk that I am just learning.

You can't control how other people respond but you can control how you react and it starts with being mindful. Just like Rome was not built in a day, so shall you not figure out peace in one either.

Each day you focus on simple tips and tricks to make yourself better, the World around you will begin to seem more calm and accepting. It's like sending out a virtual smile, you might not see how far it reaches but the boomerang effect is pretty flipping fantastic.

Ready. Set. Let's begin.