Some of you may not know this about me, but I was once a burned out nurse. I was severely out of shape (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) and never felt like I could get ahead. My health was deteriorating rapidly. At that time, it was impossible for me to see how my thoughts were the culprit of my perceived misfortune.
I remember vividly one night about to drag myself into work to push through another 12 hour shift, barely recognizing the person I saw in the mirror, when my wife grabbed my hand and said in a loving voice, “Eric, tonight look for something that is good. It is there, you just have to find it.” Look for something good? At a place where I felt my soul being sucked out of me? Where I was losing myself continuously? “Sure, I’ll try,” mumbling on my way out the door.
About an hour into my shift, her voice whispered in my mind, “look for something good.” Now, I can’t say that I actually went on a quest to seek out goodness, however I shifted my awareness to the potential possibility that there was goodness around me. Similar to looking up after looking down for so long. Within a few moments, I went in to meet one of my patients for the first time, and I was greeted with love, genuine kindness and pure goodness, from both the patient and the dad. This night changed my life.
You see, I worked in a Children’s Hospital, where goodness was all around. I had just been blinded to this because I was allowing myself to fall victim to my circumstances, instead of in control of my destination. This was the first time in such a long time that I saw the world from a different perspective, and it began with the willingness to look for what I wanted.
What we want is all around us, at all times. In the world of dichotomy that we live in, it is easy for us to fall on the negative side of this scale and we feed our thoughts with this perception. Why? Why do we have to be tall or short? Why do we have to be big or small? Why do we have to be right or wrong? Why do we have to be fast or slow? Why can’t we just be? In that ‘being’ is where we are able to become who we need to be. It’s where we can begin to forgive ourselves, and others. It’s where we are able to heal. It’s where we find ourselves. It’s where our creative self begins to awaken. It’s where we are able to see a new future for ourselves. It leads to more moments similar to mine where my life changed once I looked for what I wanted, instead of falling prey to the circumstances of life.
Years have passed and I still have a long way to go. I’m thankful for my supportive family and friends that have poured themselves into my life along the way. I’m also thankful for this dad and his daughter that in their moment of just ‘being’, my world was revolutionized. I still have coffee with him from time to time, and follow his posts on social media. This allows me to see her amazingness continue to heal the world, one person at a time.
As you go into your day, I would like to offer a challenge that could change the trajectory of your life– today, look for what you want, because it is there, you just have to find it.
Be well. Be love,
Eric
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