Back to "Reality"
My first 24 hours back in Atlanta from Panama started with a whirlwind. Between the time I landed at 7:30 pm last night and 10 am this morning, I experienced several challenging situations that would have upset me just a few years ago. Yet, instead of getting bent out of shape, I found myself smiling and saying the mantra: “Everything is Always Working Out for Me” after I found out that my laptop screen is cracked.
“If you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change” - Wayne Dyer
I just wrapped up an absolutely incredible 30 day experience living in and working from Panama. I started most days, waking up before sunrise, journaling, meditating, and walking the beach.
Yesterday, I flew back to my home in Atlanta. The flight was uneventful and landed on-time at 7:30 pm.
=> Then the party ended.
I live 20 miles from the airport, yet it took more than 4 hrs to make it home (11:45 pm). We encountered the longest line I have ever seen at emigration (I’m definitely signing up for Global Entry).
When we finally made it outside, Uber and Lyft were surging, charging 3-6 times the normal rate. We eventually took a shuttle and MARTA to downtown Atlanta to catch a more reasonably priced Uber. It was a long frustrating night. I kept a fairly positive attitude throughout.
Before going to bed, I went through a month of mail, looking for a check that I was promised would arrive last week. It wasn’t there.
This morning, I found out that my car battery was dead (not jumpable, completely dead). I had purchased the battery in 2020. I was pretty frustrated. After ½ dozen calls and help from my neighbor, I spent $186 to replace it this morning.
While I was dealing with the car battery, I opened my laptop. The touchscreen was acting pretty crazy. I realized there were 2 cracks in the glass. Then I remembered that my backpack had fallen while we waited for the airport shuttle last night.
I caught myself momentarily going into an old negative pattern. “What a sh!tstorm: now I’ve got to chase this check down; the battery isn’t in the budget; and now this laptop screen; it really sucks that I am back in town; everything was better in Panama; bitch, moan, grumble, grumble… ”
Can you relate?
Then one of my favorite phrases: “Everything is Always Working Out for Me” popped into my head. I took a deep breath, repeated the phrase a couple of times and my energy shifted. I actually found myself laughing.
I started to look at events of the past few hours from a different perspective. It felt a bit like I was being tested by the universe.
After experiencing such an amazing time in Panama, was I going to allow myself to get unglued so quickly?
While in Panama, I had been journaling a lot, about how I don't need to be in a stunningly beautiful place to be present and grounded. It's a choice that I can choose anywhere, in any environment.
From a place of choice, when things seem to be “happening to me” I can go into my victim mode or I can ground myself and deal with them without creating a story about them.
This morning was a great reminder that I get to choose my perspective.
Since then I’ve been able to fully appreciate today! I still have a laptop with a cracked screen and I’ve had a few additional challenges today. Yet, I have maintained a wonderful mood, dancing in my seat while sitting in traffic and jamming to music while I type this.
The next time things are “happening” in your life, I invite you to join me in the journey of shifting perspectives. Instead of focusing on what’s going wrong, we can ground ourselves and appreciate all that is good.