How can we look at each day with fresh eyes? By realizing that each day is a gift and that we should expect the unexpected. The truth of this came to me just yesterday in a rather mundane way.
Here in Honolulu there are several locations that rent cars. There's one by the airport, which is always the most expensive. Then there are several outlying locations...you know, the ones in dilapidated neighborhoods, far from the tourist spots, hard to get to but much cheaper.
On my first day in the city, I hop on a city bus to an outlying location to pick up a rental car. I have the car for a week, and have a great time speeding along the freeways and checking out the beaches. Now it is time to bring the car back, and on the drive to the rental facility I am just dreading the bus ride back. I will have to walk 10 minutes from the rental facility to a bus stop, then wait around for a while in the hot sun, then get on the bus, then transfer to another, before finally walking all the way up the hill where I currently live, at an altitude of 762 feet. Oh, woe is me! This is awful!
And then a small voice tells me: you are not in charge of the world. You don't know the future. And I realize, this path of misery that I've concocted is not reality. It is just a path that I'm hypothesizing. But the more I meditate on it, the more powerful it becomes. And a verse comes to mind:
"...for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning."
How about this? After dropping the car off, I have a pleasant 10 minute stroll to stretch my legs. Afterwards, a large chauffeured limo will pick me up, along with several other grand prize winners. Halfway home, I'll ask the driver to stop so I can feel the cool breeze of Waikiki, and have a cool drink while I take in the sites. Then back onto my limo for a ride to the bottom of a mountain for my daily workout. Today is a Saturday special, which will be a brisk hike up a mountain with spectacular views of Diamond Head and the Pacific Ocean. Wow!
I arrive at the car rental facility with my renewed mind. I walk inside and see the same pleasant rental girl who helped me last week. She asks if everything was alright, and I tell her the car was fine and I had a great time. She asks me if I would like to drop the car off at a facility nearer to my house - in fact walking distance. I say sure thing! And those long bus rides I dreaded evaporate like dew in the desert.
Here in Honolulu there are several locations that rent cars. There's one by the airport, which is always the most expensive. Then there are several outlying locations...you know, the ones in dilapidated neighborhoods, far from the tourist spots, hard to get to but much cheaper.
On my first day in the city, I hop on a city bus to an outlying location to pick up a rental car. I have the car for a week, and have a great time speeding along the freeways and checking out the beaches. Now it is time to bring the car back, and on the drive to the rental facility I am just dreading the bus ride back. I will have to walk 10 minutes from the rental facility to a bus stop, then wait around for a while in the hot sun, then get on the bus, then transfer to another, before finally walking all the way up the hill where I currently live, at an altitude of 762 feet. Oh, woe is me! This is awful!
And then a small voice tells me: you are not in charge of the world. You don't know the future. And I realize, this path of misery that I've concocted is not reality. It is just a path that I'm hypothesizing. But the more I meditate on it, the more powerful it becomes. And a verse comes to mind:
"...for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning."
How about this? After dropping the car off, I have a pleasant 10 minute stroll to stretch my legs. Afterwards, a large chauffeured limo will pick me up, along with several other grand prize winners. Halfway home, I'll ask the driver to stop so I can feel the cool breeze of Waikiki, and have a cool drink while I take in the sites. Then back onto my limo for a ride to the bottom of a mountain for my daily workout. Today is a Saturday special, which will be a brisk hike up a mountain with spectacular views of Diamond Head and the Pacific Ocean. Wow!
I arrive at the car rental facility with my renewed mind. I walk inside and see the same pleasant rental girl who helped me last week. She asks if everything was alright, and I tell her the car was fine and I had a great time. She asks me if I would like to drop the car off at a facility nearer to my house - in fact walking distance. I say sure thing! And those long bus rides I dreaded evaporate like dew in the desert.
1 comment:
great stuff
Post a Comment