Acceptance & perspective

Yesterday morning I awoke to a black-screened, stone-cold-dead cell phone. I had just charged it to 100 percent the previous night—and even sent some texts before I went to bed. But by morning, the battery was gone. I couldn't get a rise out of the phone.

So, of course, my day wasn't at all how I planned it (and I did have quite a to-do list yesterday). I checked online to see what models of iPhone were available and what the differences were. After doing some background research, I went off to the Verizon store—where I spent far more time than I ever intended. I did find a phone I liked, worked out a deal, waited while my old iPhone data was backed up and then transferred to my new phone; and finally I got home—to begin all the work I'd intended to start far earlier in the day.

At first I grumbled about all the lost time and the inconvenience. However, I realized that this could have happened when I was out of town. It didn't. I was here and could easily handle it. I also thought of the questions my sister often asks herself when she's upset about unexpected events messing up her plans. Do I have a life-threatening illness? No. Is this something I can survive? Yes. Will this disruption matter a year from now? No. Well, you get the idea.

I just had to grumble for a while. But asking those questions put things in perspective rather quickly. My focus shifted. I was able to reframe things and get on with it in a better frame of mind. Acceptance. Perspective. Those things make such a difference.