Back to reality

I just spent the most magical weekend at a hippymom retreat in Dallas, where the food and drink were abundant, a smoky haze filled the air, a crazy artist sang opera and painted my portrait, and amazing women came together to talk, laugh (so much laughter), cry (just a little), dance (one amazing dancer and her loving admirers!), meditate and basically just plot to take over the world!

However, I'm home now. Back to reality and all the myriad little annoyances that come with reality. Sigh. Things like a broken car (but I'm told it should be a minor repair), a dead battery in a rental car and a husband who is slow to take back said car and gets charged an extra day at DOUBLE the rate I rented it for. Plus, there's the stress of work, a messy house, and never enough money.

However, even though these little annoyances seem quite abundant at the moment, I have decided to approach them with a new outlook. I know that they are little things that are stressful NOW but are hardly worth remembering a year from now.

Compare that to the smile of my son, or the look on a teenager's face when she gets the right answer 3 times in a row, or seeing an amazing sunset. Those are things that I will remember, that I want to remember. I suppose I need to not "sweat the little things" or whatever the title of that book is. :)

For a while, I thought that it would be enough to cultivate gratitude in my heart and life. And it works wonders, believe me! But it's not enough. Just because I am grateful to be healthy and have a roof over my head, enough to eat, a loving family, etc etc etc (and I could definitely go on!) doesn't mean that I won't get worked up over a dang car. I have been known to overreact. Yes! Me! Shocking.

The thing is, because I have this tendency (I think many of us do) to get so annoyed, I have to start laughing at those annoyances, and consciously focusing on the fact that they are minor setbacks. Even if it costs money, money is only a tool, free to flow wherever it needs to go.

It won't be easy. I'm not good at NOT being Type A, and I don't have a lot of practice. But maybe with a new mindset I can be free to Type A on the things that DO matter, and relax about the things that just don't.