The other day I faced an unexpected dilemma. I had 3 clients scheduled and suddenly there was no water. Obviously, I couldn't let my first client show up, put chemicals on her hair and have no water to rinse it. My day was suddenly changed, what the heck happened to the water? Shortly, I discovered the water company was conducting a routine repair and their notice, that I didn't see, was on the board at the Post Office. Forest Falls is a small community, it's not uncommon to post a flyer or note at the general store or the Post Office in an attempt to notify the residence. It's a practice that can make an important message seem impersonal, ambiguous, stealth and even unimportant. If a message is seen by someone who happens to share it, word can get around. But the truth is no one goes to the general store or the Post office to look at messages. Nevertheless, it's all part of the charm of living in Forest Falls, USA. As a small community, we are as connected as can possibly be without everyone being in each other's business. A fine line for sure but one the community keeps in tow, mostly.
I jumped into action, called my clients and thankfully they were able and willing to accommodate the 2 hour delay because of the water outage. For me, taking charge without my emotions leading the way is a huge improvement from my younger days. I am now able to address a situation by looking over the hurtle, not at it, something I have had to learn to do. Learning this didn't happen overnight. It has taken me lots of practice and self talk. Before, my first instinct was to fall apart with overwhelming feelings of frustration at facing a challenge. But now, these feeling lead occurrences have waned as I've gotten older. Self talk and practice has helped me to strengthen a stronger grip over my feelings. Instead, I tell myself, "Face the hurtle, look beyond it, address it, and look for something in the meantime to better focus my energy on until the situation gets back on course." Kinda like a responsible adult should do anyway but something that didn't come natural to me, I had to learn it and I taught myself.
This particular day , I really needed a fresh perspective. So while I was allowing my attitude to adjust and take a refreshing glimpse of my new changed plans , I looked up at the sky and captured these images with my phone. It then dawned on me, sometimes looking beyond the hurtle isn't enough, sometimes, we need to look upward for a fresh perspective.