Storm-clouds or Rainbows? The choice is yours.

Hello to All and welcome to the blog,

I recently had the most unusual experience, that really got me thinking about the decisions we make on a daily basis. The little decisions that can turn our days swiftly in one direction or another. And it can be these tiny moments that really impact our days and experiences of life. So today – I wanted to share this one incredible experience with you.

It ends with me actually hugging a random stranger in the street – which for anyone who knows me is quite bizarre in the extreme, as I am known for being a seriously ” non hugging – back away from me type” ha ha ah ha. I am that weird person at any personal development seminar who turns to their partner when instructed to ” embrace the person next to them” and says : ” I am so sorry – but please do not touch me – I am not into being touched and really do not like strangers hugging or touching me – but I am happy to shake your hand”…….ha ha ha ha ha!

As you can imagine – in these situations – where everyone around me is leaping to recklessly hug the person beside them, with no thought at all for their personal body space, my inability to hug seems to attract much attention.

So with this prelude to my story – I shall continue…..

A few  mornings ago – I decided to go out for breakfast, which is quite a common occurrence for me,  as I never have any groceries in my house. As I approached the cafe that was my destination point, I noticed a large group of people heading into a new block of apartments that were for sale on the corner. Always curious to see what places are worth in my area, I quickened my step and tried to ascertain what was going on.

As this group of people disappeared into a side door on the ground floor, I noticed a lone man standing on the stairs. So I yelled out to him and scampered up the stairs to where he was:

Me: ” Are they all viewing an apartment for sale? Do you know how much they want for it?”

Him: ”  Blah blah blah – expletive, expletive, expletive – tirade – blah blah blah…….” he was referring to all these units being sold to people outside of Australia, making it unaffordable for Aussies to get into the property market. He was wanting the government to take action to stop this – he was convinced it was already illegal to do what these people were doing.

He was in an outrage. I was on the receiving end, having inadvertently inserted myself into his drama. And he clearly wanted me to join him in his frustrations.

I was not expecting this. But even more bizarrely – I was not expecting my response.

Firstly I said to him something along the lines of: ” You know what – there are so many things that upset me in the world today too – but you just have to focus on all the good things around you, otherwise you will be angry and upset all the time etc etc ” . Then for some reason I mentioned my blog. I said : ” I actually write a blog…….”

He cut me off with a wave of his hand: ” Well – you should write about this – people need to know……”

I interjected: ” It’s not that sort of blog  ha ha ha – it’s all about bringing peace and love into the world and helping people feel good about who they are etc etc “…..

He paused – a little bemused I guess……And this is where the magic happened.

His entire mood, disposition and body language shifted.

He asked: ” What is your blog called? Where can I find it ? You know I am usually a really happy sort of bloke and really peace loving too….!  ”

His frown turned upward into a sheepish smile.

His eyes softened and began to twinkle.

He laughed.

His entire demeanour changed and he met me on common ground – in my beautiful sunny day.

Birds chirped around us and all was good in the world again.

And then – out it came – the big guns – The Hug!

What possessed me to do this I will never know. But I did it.

I actually hugged this complete stranger in the middle of the street.

And as I turned to walk away – he was beaming  - with a huge smile on his face and his entire energy had changed. His turmoil regarding the property market in Sydney had somehow subsided and he was basking in the glory of the Summer’s Day.

It was the most surreal thing.

And as I walked off I marvelled at the entire experience and thought how different it could have been.

How easily I could have bought into his misery, joined the property tirade, grown his angst and left that small moment under his little thunder cloud.

But instead – without even meaning to – I turned his little thunder cloud into a rainbow and we both left the moment better off.

Amazing!

Now before you think I am Wonder Woman and am telling you this to bask in my own fabulousness – I have to confess that I have been on the other end of this equation recently too.

After a wonderful dinner out where the restaurant was amazing, the food sublime, the view incredible and the staff fabulous – I lost it because my friend and I could not pay with two separate credit cards.

Yes – in a total lapse of judgement and wisdom – I decided to have a ” little Christine –  rant  ”  [ my poor friends are familiar with these ha ha ha ] –  and admonish the waitress for not taking two credit cards. Now whilst I do think it a little silly that this place does not allow you to pay with two cards – there was clearly no reason to make an issue of it and ruin an other wise perfect evening.

But I did!

Clearly the waitress is not at fault for the company’s policy. But on this evening my logic and diplomacy had clearly gone MIA.

Why? I do not know…….let’s just say –  to steal a line from my favourite movie, The Breakfast Club : ” It’s an imperfect world. Screws fall out all the time” ha ha ah ah!

So -let’s just say I am working on my screws!

And the message and lesson for today is this. Sometimes we are so busy trying to figure out ways to fix the world in magnificent ways:

Plant more trees

Stop human trafficking

End world hunger

…..that we forget about shining rainbows into our own little thunder clouds.

In so many tiny ways, we can turn the world around us on a dime.

In so many tiny ways, we can choose to go into another person’s storm – or invite them into our peace.

Invite them to come stand under our rainbow.

We just have to be aware and then practise choosing the rainbow option.

Am I doing well in this regard?

As you can see by the stories above – sometimes yes and sometimes no.

But –  I am aware.

And I am trying to do better all the time.

And that is all any of us can do.

We can all make a huge difference to The World Around Us by simply being conscious of the choices we make on a daily basis:

Choice One: Join another person under their storm cloud.

Choice Two: Invite them to come and stand under your rainbow.

My recommendation…..

Choose The Rainbow!

#DiscoverYou #LoveYou #BeYou

And remember…….we are all just doing the best we can.

Christine