Do you remember that old gag? You call somebody up and ask them if their refrigerator is running, and, when they say yes, you say, “Well, you’d better catch it before it gets away!”
That one never gets old. But seriously…is your refrigerator running?
I’d be willing to bet it is. In fact, I’d be willing to bet that it’s been running well for years. It’s so reliable that, honestly, you never give it a second thought. And, that’s the way it is with everything that’s working how it’s supposed to be working.
We don’t actually start thinking about something until it breaks down. Whether that’s our refrigerator, our water heater, our car or our body. We tend to take these things for granted until we start experiencing a problem.
Unfortunately what that means is that it can be real easy to focus mostly on problems and how things are not going “our way” rather than recognizing how many things are going right. Where this becomes a serious problem is when we start identifying these problems with who we are.
For example, let’s say you start having a stressful moment. Instead of thinking to yourself, “I am experiencing a temporary stressful moment” you think, “I am stressed out.” When you do that you identify who you are with that pain or problem.
Like a well-running refrigerator, we actually experience a lot more peaceful and calm moments than we do stressful moments. We just don’t always realize it.
This week, let’s see if we can be more mindful of all the calm, peaceful, enjoyable, satisfying moments we will have…and of all the things that are going right!
Cheers!