When I Heard the Crash, I Knew . . .
"When I heard the crash, I knew I had the tools and practices to respond with ease and grace -- and I did. In that moment, everything changed for the better."
A woman who is known to be extremely thoughtful, careful and respectful made an error that nearly knocked down a building!
Ordinarily, when pulling out of her business’s garage with the large truck she needs to drive, the woman checks all of her surroundings, double checks and then checks again!
For a number of reasons, the woman was a bit distracted and didn’t realize that the large door on the back of the truck was still open. As she slowly pulled out of the garage, something felt a little different, but she proceeded.
Within seconds, she heard crashing and saw that the garage frame had detached from the building pulling with it cement block and the support beam.
The woman was obviously upset by what had happened (freaked out actually!), but quickly had a moment of clarity. Her calamity helped her realize in that very instant that she had a choice on how she could respond.
This woman’s story provides clarity for us on how we can proceed when the unexpected, the challenging, the frightening--or the downright horrible happens in life:
1. We can know that it’s alright to feel the feeling we have when something hard happens (without judgment or self-condemnation).
2. Remembering that we have a choice in every moment liberates us from staying stuck in guilt, shame, discomfort, stress, etc.
3. Actually practicing the tools we’ve learned along the way is a fine choice that provides clear outcomes--peace and inner power.
So the next time you encounter a calamity of any kind, big or small, remember you have a clear choice on how you’ll respond--and the way you do impacts your energy and the energy of all those around you! Take a breath and choose peace.
PS - The woman in the story has an amazing manager who assumed 50% of the responsibility for the accident because the manager had opened the door and did not remind the woman before she drove out of the garage. All is well and most importantly, no one was injured!
