Tailor Made Experiences

Last weekend I read the church bulletin from front to back. Usually I just glance over it, but I had run a little ad looking for an in-home sitter, so I paid closer attention. Our priest always writes a short reflection, something for us to ponder as we go through our daily lives. In general, I really enjoy his thoughts. He’s a very realistic, tolerant and down to earth priest, a gift that not all Catholic clergy possess. Perhaps it was not a coincidence that I read the bulletin last week, because what he wrote really struck a chord with me. What he said, in a nutshell, was this: That he has begun greeting each day with the thought that God has made each day specifically for him. Meaning, the sole purpose of our past experiences is to prepare us to handle whatever situations come our way each day, good or bad.

It’s amazing how much your outlook on life, even the mundane, can change when you view it with that perspective - that you have been in training, so to speak, just for this, whatever “this” may be. Maybe it’s a matter of not losing patience so easily with the kids, not becoming irritated at slow drivers, or being less judgmental of others’ behaviors. When I took the time to think of my situations with such regard, I found that my reactions were significantly different than when I was my typically unfocused self and allowed myself to feel easily hassled. There is beauty in this approach as well, because it need not be applied only to frustrating scenarios. It was helpful in simply not taking for granted the boredom of my routine daily activities. Wouldn’t we all really rather have boredom than turmoil? Maybe those perfunctory activities are really a gift, a mindless moment to be used to recharge rather than being viewed as tedious or humdrum chores. I don’t think that I ever looked at all of the items on my to-do list as a gift before.

Don’t misunderstand me. I still get irritated when I see a sink full of dishes or know that that laundry is yet unfolded, lunches need to be packed, floors need to be vacuumed, groceries need to be bought…It’s just nice to change it up once in a while and remind myself that many people would be grateful to be lugging around a very heavy baby carrier in the rain with 16 bags of groceries. I’m lucky to have the things that I have and the family and friends that I have. And God certainly did not bestow those things upon me for me to be agitated or annoyed about being with them or doing things for them.

Trying to always be grateful, patient and appreciative isn't always easy, but I'm finding lately that being more conscious of my actions is actually more liberating than it is restrictive. Not that I did much before that was worthy of condemning, but simply changing my outlook to be less selfish, more giving, more grateful, more loving - it’s freeing, because at the end of the day (hey, in the middle of the day) I feel good about myself. And that feeling creates a snowball of good - do good, feel good, do more good, etc.

Now…to make a list of where to apply these principles: when Jake takes 25 minutes to get out of the car, when Greg asks me for the 15th time what I am doing today, when the house is a mess and I am tired, when the person in front of me in line at Giant Eagle has to go back for one more item after I’ve already unloaded my cart and the baby is crying - oh yes, life is full of opportunities to practice what I preach!!