I had an experience some time ago that taught me the value of refocusing one’s attention.
We Love Pickles
My family loves pickles, so much that we buy them by the gallon!
As my daughter was preparing her lunch for school that day I heard a strangled cry, “Mommmm!”
I rushed out to the mudroom to see what was wrong, and saw my daughter standing barefoot on the cement floor in the middle of a gallon’s worth of pickles and broken glass!
I acknowledge that I will not be winning any Mother of the Year award because…
My immediate focus went not to the welfare of my daughter but to the pickle juice flowing under the refrigerator, under the nearby cabinets and towards a fabric suitcase filled with a college daughter’s clothing.
With annoyance, I asked this daughter why she wasn’t moving out of the mess.
She meekly replied, “Mom, there’s glass.”
Shift in Focus
Suddenly my attention shifted, and I focused on seeing that my daughter could be hurt.
I dumped a nearby bag of rags on the flow of pickle juice, and focused on helping my daughter get out of the glass-filled mess.
My attention had shifted from the mess to the welfare of my daughter.
She had sliced a toe, and a shard of glass was in her heel.
I doctored her up and on her way to high school.
As I began to clean up the mess, my focus shifted once again, to one of immense gratitude.
Another Shift in Focus
How did that heavy jar of pickles not land on her bare feet?
A gallon jar of pickles weighs 12 pounds? Can you imagine the injury that could have resulted from that weight, plus the jagged shards of glass landing on her foot?
With the change in focus, the feelings of inconvenience suddenly became feelings of gratitude.
During this one event, I experienced three changes of focus:
-inconvenience of the mess.
-realization that my daughter could be hurt
-gratitude that she wasn’t.
Lessons to be Learned
Are there lessons to be learned in this experience?
How often do we focus first on that which is insignificant or less important?
Once we realize what is truly important we can refocus and give thanks for the blessing.
I invite you to refocus your attention from difficulties you may be experiencing so you can become aware of the blessings, even miracles, to be found.
Much love,
