Issue #822 | Feb 23, 2015
The Power To Choose.
PEBBLE
Between stimulus and response there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom.
-Viktor E. Frankl, shared by Lauretta in Cincinnati, OH
BOULDER
One’s philosophy is not best expressed in words; it is expressed in the choices one makes… and the choices we make are ultimately our responsibility.
-Eleanor Roosevelt, shared by Pete in Sedona, AZ
PONDER
I look forward to watching the Oscars every year. I love watching movies, I crave the spectacle of the gala, and I’m curious to observe the host tackling the unique challenge of managing the tension and egos of the attendees in the theater while simultaneously entertaining the audience AND keeping the producers from pulling their hair out.
Well, last night at 7:58pm, my cable & internet service went out. I didn’t know how long it would be out, but I guessed (correctly, it turns out) that I would miss at least the first part of the show which sets the mood and the tone. OHHHHHH I was crushed. For about 25 seconds.
I then remembered the Viktor Frankl quote above. And I remembered that I didn’t get to choose whether the Academy Awards were going to blip back to life. I didn’t get to choose whether the cable company would treat this as the red alarm, DEFCON 1, lives-hanging-in-the-balance emergency that it initially seemed like to me. The choice I DID have was how to respond.
I took a deep breath, and remembered that my lights were still on (many of my neighbors had no power). I recognized that while my plans were halted, I was still comfortably warm in my cozy home and I had just about everything else I needed (food, clothes, shelter, friends, job, etc.). I took another deep breath, smiled, shared the bummer news with my FaceBuddies, and crawled into bed with my Kindle and my Grendel. It wasn’t the evening I had planned, but it wasn’t bad at all.
I woke up this morning and realized that my world wasn’t ruined and I had more choices to make. My first thought was to go online and watch excerpts and find out who won. But then I realized that the issue of Ripples that was all queued up would need to wait until next week so I could share my adventure in choices.
This is longer than usual because it is 6:52am and I’m trying to make my usual 7am sending. (Sorry if it is a few minutes late!). I’ll quickly wrap this up and hope the you can be more aware of the choices YOU have about how to respond to the challenges you face today.
Peace,
Paul
The Ripples Guy
