It is easy to feel warm and fuzzy when everything around you is sunshine and flowers but stepping into the unknown is frightening and we often build it up with dark shadows and what we think are unattainable dreams.
It is 3:22 am and I can’t sleep. Tossing and turning with random thoughts I jump out of bed to scribble them down. You ever notice how this happens at the most inopportune times like when in the shower, while driving or right when you want to be sleeping? We allow our minds to relax.
My mind is jumping all around thinking about the strange significance of my kids’ birthdays to my dad’s passing. My son’s birthday is 2/9/99, my daughter’s 12/27/12 and my dad’s passing 3/2/12. I find it interesting that they all have the number 2. Then I think both kids’ birthdays have doubles. 99 and 12/12.
You walk into a store ignited with bright lights and rows of beauty and there they are, the perfect shoes. You run over in excitement hoping they have them in your size. You look frantically but come up empty handed. You try the rows on either side just praying someone misplaced them, but no. Then you wander around trying on others aimlessly and in the end settle for second best and end up either returning them later or watching the dust settle on the box in your closet.
While I was online one day a simple ad popped up with a picture of boots that said “Find your shoes”. Simple and to the point and then it hit me we are all just searching for finding the right fit. A perfect fit for your purpose in life, a perfect fit for your job, a perfect fit for your significant other and you could fill this in with what you are seeking.
When we miss out on what we are searching for we often believe our “perfect fit” is gone forever. We spend hours, days, months, years’ looking for a replacement to what we thought was our “perfect fit”.
You don’t have to try on all the other shoes; just walk up to the counter and ask to order your size. Jot down the brand name and research online for another similar place that sells the same shoe. Look around and realize that none of the options in this store fit what you are looking for. Now leave and be patient for another day when the “perfect fit” will show up.
Maybe those shoes you would have pushed for and never gave up on would mean even more when you had to search and search for them. Have your ever searched for a specific toy your child really wanted from Santa? When you find it you nearly jump up and down. That is what happens when we put all the extra effort into searching. Sometimes it is a pain and sometimes we don’t want to be patient but in the end the reward and joy you get from seeing finally what you have been looking for is indescribable.
Perfect Fit Lesson:
Know that there is no perfect fit just the right time and place.
What “perfect fit” are you searching for? Do you need to change stores or just be patient?
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The rain had managed to sneak its way into the sand box just enough to make it perfect for building castles. I sat there working so hard to build up tall hills of sand with my daughter only to have her laugh at me when she stomped on them like King Kong. If I have to admit it, I became frustrated over time internally. Why couldn’t she just let us finish?
Then I stopped and thought there is a great lesson here. You put all of your effort into something time and time again, only to have others tear it down. This time I will wipe my hands off in time to take her smiling face in front of the beautiful sand hills we have made together. Determination!
Do you ever wish you could write while closing your eyes?
Well in this day and age you could by speaking into some contraption I’m sure but then you would lose the silence of it all. If you are like me all your good thoughts come while driving a car. Not that I am saying you should close your eyes while driving. I suggest turning down the radio. Rolling down the window. Listening to your breathing and the sounds all around you. Maybe you prefer listening to the silence. Just the sound of your mind jumping from one topic to another can inspire ideas. Yes I know that is not a sound but you can almost hear your mind shift can’t you?
What do you do with all these random thoughts? Well if you are in your car and find no paper inside do what I did. Jot them down on a napkin. It is funny how just when you know you need a break something appears to give you one. The all famous rest area sign that reminds you of the many times your family has stopped here.
Now close your eyes and roll the window down. Breathe deep and listen to the sounds of nature and cars. Now roll the window up and close your eyes again as all other noises disappear but the one you focus on. The sound of a semi-truck running across from you. You focus on the sound because it relaxes your mind. It is then you wish you could write while closing your eyes. For some the sound of a semi-truck may not be soothing so focus on your sound. For me my dad was a truck driver and the smell of diesel and running trucks gets me every time.
We all need a break. A breath. A time to think. Often we don’t give this to ourselves. If I have one thing I have learned the older I get it is that your mind can really fill up fast. With kids and work and responsibility you have a lot going on up there. If people are not afforded a time to breath they will never get a chance to jot down their napkin thoughts. They won’t take a moment to breathe in the diesel smell or listen to the truck running. They won’t get to relax and remember. They won’t get to think.
Here are some great ways to give your mind a break and allow the thoughts to form into a bigger story. Sometimes what you get out of this time is much more than what you would spending hours diligently working.
And if your life still has no room for any of this, stop at a rest area on your way home, close your eyes and open your mind.
What things do you do to give your mind a break and spur napkin thoughts and inspiration? Share your answer below or on social media.
Kandace Chadwell 