How utterly blessed am I to work in a place where people are nice. The older (& wiser?) I'm getting, the more so the simple things in life (like smiles, thank you's, doors held open, people letting you in on the roads) are those that make me brim with happiness.
I work in a place where a scowling person entering the building is a rarity. I was quite shocked when I started work here this year, because I was used to working in places where it was the other way round & the smiles were often the rarity - or at least a lot less common than I'm finding now.
So when I had a phone call today with someone who had clearly gotten out of bed on the wrong side, I struggled to shake it off. Like a duck shaking water off it's wings, I physically tried to let the contraction of a harsh conversation go. It didn't work in full, but it was a start. So how else did I get back into the flow?
1) to start with, I MOVED my body. I shook my hands, I tried to physically rid myself of the energy the phone call left with me.
2) then I had to BREATHE. Big breaths in and out - to bring myself completely into the present moment. Do you ever notice that when you're stressed or arguing or being spoken to in an unfriendly way, you shrink? You pull back? So I wanted to feel present again, feel here.
3) I practiced GRATITUDE. Seriously, on this gorgeous sunny day, I wasn't going to let anyone ruin my day! Especially a person with a small heart, who needed my compassion more than anything else. I called to mind: *where I work & how smiles are the norm! *the jasmine in the air *my beautiful strong body feeling the effects of the #40DayRevolution *coffee & park dates with wonderful pregnant friends, just to name a few things.
4) I came to notice WHAT IS. And what is? The truth is that I'm so lucky to have all the gratitudes in my life, I've a healthy body, a strong mind, a roof over my head, and I solved the problem without this person's help. So all ended good - both inside and out.
Friends, how do YOU get back into the flow when the road twists and turns?
Stella xo