I walked into the grocery store with a smile and a spring in my step. I approached the florist’s counter, and asked for an order of balloons. I chose a few of my friend Nancy’s favorite colors, along with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. It was her birthday, and I was thrilled about surprising her. The excitement filled me up as I thought about celebrating the day. Pouring all that positive energy into her was overflowing and filling me with energy as well. The people who passed by smiled and nodded toward me. They could see the joy and liveliness that surrounded me. I felt great.
“Looks like you’re about to make someone’s day,” the man behind me noted. I couldn’t stop smiling.
I collected all of the items and went out to my car. As I struggled to open the back hatch, a strong wind blew the balloons into the rear wiper…and one of the balloons popped. I could feel the air leaving my sails as I surveyed the damage. My heart sunk farther as a man behind me exclaimed, “Bless your heart! You’re just trying to do something nice for someone, and this is the thanks you get!”
“Take it back in and tell them it was defective, I’m sure they will replace it!” called an employee who was retrieving carts.
I smiled and shrugged. I didn’t have time to go back in. I had planned to do this on the spur of the moment, so I had only a small amount of time left to swing by my friend’s house with her birthday surprise. As an avid perfectionist, I wanted to throw time constraints to the wind and make everything flawless again. It was all I could do to get into the car and drive away.
However, that is exactly what I did. I chose to be happy with what I had and drove to my friend’s house. I carefully removed the balloons and flowers from the car. The popped balloon trailed behind me as I joyfully walked to her door. When Nancy saw me, she had a huge smile on her face. I could see that she was just as joyous over the surprise as I had been when I was planning it. It still made her day, regardless of the incident at the grocery store. The spirit of my gift remained.
You see, no matter how good your intentions are, sometimes things just don’t go the way you intend. Life throws us curves and shows us numerous imperfections along the way. It seems to be a constant challenge to stay positive as one thing after another derails you. Imagine walking into work with a positive attitude as your coworker grumbles, or waking up on the right side of the bed when your spouse/partner does not. Or, you may marry your spouse with wonderful intentions for the two of you, and then somehow find yourself in the middle of a divorce. Sometimes, the balloon just pops.
The incident with my friend’s balloon had a lesson waiting for me. The point is, with all the hurt and pain in the world, it can be extremely difficult to stay happy and full of love. Things aren’t always going to go great. We will, time after time, be knocked out of our high and have the wind taken from our sails. The only way out is to find the silver lining. Mine, in this situation, was multi-faceted. Not only did I come to understand that my perfectionism does not always serve me, I also was awake enough to see that there was potential in writing this article and sharing this message with you.
Above all, remember: You can’t let an outside situation decide whether or not you are love-oriented.
Staying connected and in a state of love is the answer to keeping our energy up in these situations. It is a reminder that happiness is indeed a choice that we must make over and over again, frequently more than once a day.
Tips for Staying in a State of Love:
1. Stay even. Make a note of how the situation makes you feel, and try to even out your reaction.
2. Get re-inspired. Tap into the love feeling that you had, when your good intentions were still intact. Feel it fully.
3. Find a positive interpretation. Make the choice to remain upbeat and seek out that silver lining. Let go of the negative feelings that you are having.
4. Release the need to control. Let Synchronicity do its job. Follow that Synchronicity.
Everything that you see as a challenge or a test can prove to be a great opportunity for growth. Find the best way to stretch and grow, choosing happiness no matter what. I challenge you to just let go of the things that are standing in your way of a positive frame of mind. Breathe deeply as they leave you. Think back to a moment in your life when you felt tremendous love and security. Sometimes a moment of meditation is all that it takes to return to a beautiful state of connectedness.
