100's up to 113 in nearby Livermore. (45 Celsius.)
I got away for several days this weekend. A friend and I visited the town of Mendocino, the coast, and enjoyed weather between 69 and 73 degrees. I am back at work tomorrow.
Where I live is assaulted on three fronts. High smoke content because of wildfires in Northern California, excessive heat, and the ongoing Coronavirus. It's fascinating observing how we re-spond when weathering an emotionally trying season of dire circumstances.
It reminds me of the story of a teabag placed in a teacup. Hot water was poured into the cup, and the water quickly darkened within it. Imagine the bag saying, "I'm not darkening the water---it is the hot water causing this. Don't blame me!"
A more accurate statement is the hot water only reveals what is in the teabag.
Today, I was in hot water along the coast, north of the bays of Tomal-es, Bolinas, and Bodega. The coastal highway was closed to one lane. Both sides were damaged because of a lightning-started fire that burnt that area three weeks ago.
The queue of cars stretched for miles.
Ugh. My response was, "Okay, God, what needs of mine do you want me to address while stuck in this mess?" The answer was obvious: patience and being in a cheerful mood.
I slid a Credence Clearwater CD into the player. I focused on my attitude. I did what I could, making the most while trapped along with sixty cars on a cliffside highway on my way to Bodega Bay.
That was one step towards meeting my need for joy. Next, I said alphabetical gratitudes. I listed thanks in alphabetical order.
I usually smile. While expressing gratitude alphabetically, my face widened. I felt "twinkle wrinkles" emerging alongside my eyes. Hap-piness was spreading from ear to ear, even during a diffi-cult situation.
I was grateful for antlers, karma, xylophones, and what the word Zoe means, among others listed. Traffic moving at a snail's pace no longer preoccupied my thinking.
He played away on his amplified clarinet, accompanying recorded joyful jazz music. He danced and swayed to the melody.
My soul boogied along with him.
Restaurants along this boulevard were packed with people con-necting while dining on the pavement outside. People were smiling at their friends and family members breaking bread with them. Bales of hay protected those eating from passing traffic.
Smiles were visible during this time when wearing masks was man-dated. The diners were unmasked. Eating is hard otherwise.
I was overjoyed to witness love and fellowship publicly demonstrated up and down this street. I did not see one down-turned face during the entire length of downtown Guerneville.
We in our cars crawled like a long line of ants between blades of grass. We wound through this city engulfed by 300-foot-tall Redwood trees. We went in a slow line, going east, onwards to Highway 101.
It, in turn, took us to the Bay Area.
Lessons Brought to My Attention This Weekend:
1. Happiness is available at any time. It hinges on attitude.
I'll add it is the optimist who will soar and the pessimist who will try to clip his wings, preventing him from flying. The negative person will tell him all that can go wrong."The pessimist sees the problem in every oppor-tunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every problem." Winston Churchill
3. Joy can happen when placing principles and positive habits above the negative default modes we turn to when discouraged or disap-pointed. I did not say we would have joy. I say we can have it.
It happens when we are willing to do the work, replacing negative behavior and attitudes with a new, good, and better quality----staying in the solution.
Wishing you a fantastic Tuesday. I know mine will be.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment