By Dr. Sandy Islands for Conch Color
My son and I had to catch a very early morning flight today
at the airport. Our house sitter had arrived late last night and we didn't have
time to unload his car to make room for our bags. We took my hybrid Prius,
which operates differently than most cars. I drove while giving my house sitter
a brief explanation of how the car worked. I asked if he'd like me to leave it
running or wait until he was on his way. He smiled and said he'd be fine. We
said our goodbyes and entered the line to check our bags. I reached for my
license and panicked as I realized that I'd left my purse in the car. At
Our connecting flight offered a choice of movies and even though I'd read the plot summary of all of them, one kept jumping out at me. The photo advertisement seemed to glow brighter than the rest. Because I've learned to trust those unexplainable nudges, I decided to watch, The Ultimate Gift. James Garner played a billionaire grandfather who in a video after his death guided his self-centered, playboy grandson, who'd never worked a day in his life, through a series of tasks to receive his inheritance. Each one allowed him to stretch beyond his arrogance, dig deep into his soul, and find the man he didn't know he could be. A few of the gifts the grandson received included the gift of work, of friends, of money, of gratitude, of one complete day, of learning, of love and the gift of giving. I didn't know that I needed a good cry, but this movie provided the empathy and I received an emotional cleansing.
As the sun sets, I reflect on all the unexpected gifts this day has provided. By retrieving my purse and making our flight, I received the gift of gratitude. No matter how I thought the morning should go, it went the way it did in order for me to receive this gift. When I set off the metal detector through security with my new titanium knee, I received the gift of knowledge as the kind female officer explained what I'd go through every time I traveled while she performed her thorough search. She reminded me several times that if I felt uncomfortable, I could ask her to stop and ask for a supervisor. When our bags arrived at our destination after a tight connection, I felt grateful that we wouldn't have to do emergency shopping for my son's appointment tomorrow. There were no rental cars available in the class I'd reserved, so I received the gift of a free upgrade. When my son and I arrived at our hotel very hungry and went searching for good food, we turned into a plaza where we'd glimpsed a possible place and found a restaurant that more than surpassed our expectations.
Today reminded me to stay open to all possibilities. Life is a vast supply of burdens and blessings. Most of the time, what appears to be a burden turns out to be a blessing at some point. We can all remember a disastrous event that offered many future belly laughs when we looked back. We're all magnets to what we attract in life. Every experience is an opportunity to look at ourselves, rise above, and see the bigger picture. The lessons always return until we learn them. No matter what happens, let's look for the unexpected gifts.
Feel free to enjoy previous articles at www.sandyislands.com under publications. Please write to me at sandyislands@hawaii.rr.com and let me know how just looking at yourself is changing your life.