Signs
Maybe it's always been there and I never noticed before, but ever since I turned 40, it seems to me that wisdom is all around me. Signs are everywhere reminding me that I am on the right path, or the wrong path - or that I am no where near a path. They seem to come to me at just the right moments, signifying that it is more than just coincidence.
Yesterday, I got a card in the mail. It wasn't my birthday, I didn't win anything. The most interesting part was that it was to me...from me.
Over the summer I took part in an amazing support group, though the reason is a topic for another post on another day. At the very last meeting we were encouraged to write a note to ourselves that would arrive at a random time, when we least expected it, but maybe when we needed it most. It appeared in my mailbox yesterday and it couldn't have been a bigger sign if I got hit by a bolt of lightning.
What did it say? (I think that I was fueled by some Yogi tea bag wisdom when I wrote this.)
Breathe
Laugh more
Smile more
Have patience
Be clear
Follow through
Set a good example
Breathe
Have perspective
Love unconditionally
Praise often
Forgive quickly
Breathe
If you know me, given the number of times I have 'forgotten' to breathe over the years, you understand why this bears repeating. A million or so years ago I was in a class for crazy assed, Type A, rageaholics (or something like that) and the leader suggested that we place little sticker dots around our home to remind us to stop and breathe. My house looked like the sticker dot factory exploded in it. More recently, a dear friend gave me a little sign for my desk that says, "Just breathe." This is a familiar theme.
When things are shitty, and the outcome looks bleak, and everything seems unnecessarily contrary, look for a sign. In my case, it's probably going to remind me to breathe. Frankly, that's not a bad idea for everyone to remember.