Friends, my phone fell in the toilet for the second time in less than a year this past week. I feel like this is a metaphor for my life on so many levels. I waited a few days for it to dry out, took it to the phone repair desk here, and it is officially dead. I spent three hours on the phone ordering a new one. I have hijacked my husband’s phone until it comes in, which could be weeks since we are in Japan. He is graciously letting me keep it while he goes to work. I don’t want to be one of those people who is lost without their phone. I want to be a person who enjoys not having it. But honestly, I’m just not. I take care of so many things on my to-do list using my phone. I run my business from my phone. I take pictures with my phone. I navigate through a foreign country with my phone. I keep myself from total isolation during this pandemic with my phone. I use timers and alarm clocks and calendars on my phone. So, this is a frustrating situation. As always, I have choices. I can choose to walk in the dark or the light. I can choose to focus on the negative or the positive. I can choose to complain or be grateful.
I could get angry with myself. I tend to criticize and blame myself for any little thing that doesn’t go the way I want it to in life. Even if it’s something completely out of my control, I can find a way to believe it was my fault. But knowing that, I can listen for those thoughts and stop them when they come. Then I can say, it was a simple mistake. I forgot it was in my back pocket. The laws of gravity are definitely NOT within my control. I can respect God’s laws of nature and accept that I am a human.
I can choose to be angry that it took so long to order the new one, that they had no budget phones in stock so I’m paying twice what I would normally pay, or that it will take so long to arrive. Or I can choose to be thankful that a new phone is on its way, that it will probably be the highest quality phone I’ve ever had, and that my husband is here and sharing his phone with me in the meantime.
I can choose to criticize myself for feeling lost without my phone, or I can accept the fact that it’s 2021 and be thankful for this tool that simplifies my life in so many ways.
So, if you are facing a frustrating situation today, remember you have choices. Choose light, choose gratitude, choose faith, choose hope. Even if your whole life seems to be going down the toilet, you can be thankful for the opportunity to flush the crap and start fresh.