#118
Our trip down to Texas from Minnesota was a bit rough. To begin with, the day before we left, I drew an Intention Card at random – Life As Adventure. Then on morning we left, I drew another Intention Card at random – Life As Adventure again. Hmmm, I thought, not my favorite card to pick at the beginning of a road trip.
To make a long story short, the second day out, we threw a wheel bearing on the trailer. Luckily, we were able to pull into a rest area, where a mobile repair unit could replace the bearing. The next day, we threw another wheel bearing, and had to pull over onto the shoulder of Interstate 35, north of Kansas City. That time I ended up towing the trailer for 20 miles with only three wheels on the ground. (The trailer has two axles, and is meant to have four wheels on the ground.)
Pulling the limping trailer, I was beginning to be bummed out. Actually, I was edging close to being very bummed out. Then I remembered the Life As Adventure cards. Perhaps, I thought, I can have a different perspective. Perhaps this situation isn’t as dire as I’m beginning to feel like it is. And of course it wasn’t. No one was hurt; no damage was done to truck or trailer; we have roadside insurance, so help was fairly easily available; and we were on our way to a shop that would hopefully fix it. So I took a couple of deep breaths, drank a bit of water, and reached for a better feeling.
I was glad to be able to shift my perspective from dire to something closer to grateful. The situation didn’t change, but the way I experienced the situation changed. My perspective made all the difference.
Actually, the better feeling perspective was the more realistic one, although I must tell you that the dire perspective was very compelling, and I did dip into it a bit. Fortunately, Debra and I were able to support each other to keep choosing the better feeling perspective. So Instead of having a freaked out, bummer of a trip, we had a challenging trip — challenges that we met with some grace.
I’m grateful that I’ve been practicing shifting my perspective for many years. And I’m grateful for those Intention Cards reminding me to engage with the adventure of life.
Is there a situation in your life that could benefit from a change in perspective?
Click here to order Intention Cards for your holiday giving!
As I mentioned last week, I’ll be in Oaxaca, Mexico for the month of December. I will not be available for readings, except for emergencies. I hope to send Tenacity Notes while I’m there, if only to tell you about what and how I’m doing, and maybe send a photo or two.
