empowerment

Look for the Gift

Claire empowerment, Fallen, the Adventures of a Deep Water Leaf, transformation , , 0 Comment
Look for the Gift

20 Ways to Change Your Story

8. Look for the Gift

faucetMy kitchen faucet broke.

Ruh Roh.

Hubby was willing and able to replace it, except that he was recovering from a knee and shoulder injury that made it difficult and painful to climb under the sink.

It was the weekend and we couldn’t get a plumber in until Monday. At 6:30am (oh boy!)

Sigh. A whole weekend without my kitchen sink?!

I was working myself up into a real tizzy until somewhere between hauling hot water in a bucket from the bathroom to the kitchen and washing dishes in said bucket, it occurred to me that it’s good to have things break down every now and then. It makes you appreciate the things you take for granted.

This little kitchen breakdown would cause some inconvenience.

I could get all bent out of shape about it, or I could look for the gifts in the situation.

  • Like running water – even if for the moment I had to go into the bathroom to fetch it. (There was a time when folks had to haul water by hand from the nearest creek and then heat it over the woodstove. Hurray for modern conveniences!)
  • gifts-570816_1920Like an automatic dishwasher that does most of the work keeping my dishes cleaned. (It’s only force of habit that keeps me pre-washing my dishes anyway.)
  • Like a handy husband willing to fix things, even though he’s hurt. (He would have done it himself – it was me who talked him out of it.)
  • Like the hardware store right down the street, well-stocked with kitchen faucets.
  • Like having enough money readily available to buy a new faucet and pay for repairs.
  • Like plumbers you can call on the telephone (what an amazing invention!) to schedule repairs.
  • Like waking up early on a Monday morning. (Ugh. Still having some trouble with this one!)
  • Like waking up early on a Monday morning to rain and cooler air in the middle of a very hot summer.
  • Like waking up early on a Monday morning and having time to write this blog and get it posted before it’s time to head to work.
  • Like knowing that by the time I finish writing this, my kitchen will be back to normal and, for a while at least, I will appreciate the convenience of running water all the more.

Here’s to the gifts! I am grateful.

~~~~~

This is the 9th post in a 21-post series sparked by Chapter 9 of Fallen, The Adventures of a Deep Water Leaf, in which Lizard suggests that Alora change her story.
#20WaysIn20Days, #ChangeYourStory, #Fallen

Build a Ladder of Small Changes

Claire empowerment, Fallen, the Adventures of a Deep Water Leaf, transformation , , , 0 Comment
Build a Ladder of Small Changes

20 Ways to Change Your Story

6. Build a Ladder of Small Changes

Stuck In A RutDo you ever feel so deeply stuck in a rut that you can barely see out over the top of it? Everything is so same-ole-same-ole that you can’t even imagine a new story. Does the thought of trying to climb out of that rut feel so overwhelming you don’t even know where to start?

If your rut story is in desperate need of a rewrite and you can’t seem to even muster up a “once upon a time,” much less a “happily ever after” then maybe what you need is not some big, scary, humongous let’s change everything approach. Maybe what you need is a ladder of small changes you can climb up one at a time.

You don’t need to be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. You don’t have to know exactly what you want.

You can start by doing just one thing different. It doesn’t matter what. It doesn’t have to be big.

  • Brush your teeth with the other hand tonight.
  • Take a different route to work in the morning.
  • If you usually wear a long tie, wear a bow tie or a bola tie or no tie at all.
  • If you usually wear a dress wear slacks.
  • Change the radio station in your car.
  • Walk or run your usual route in the reverse direction for a change.
  • Try a different exercise, class or piece of equipment at the gym.
  • Sit in a different chair in your classroom, church or staff meeting.
  • Eat breakfast food for dinner or dinner food for breakfast.
  • Smile at the people you pass.
  • Watch a show you’ve never seen before.
  • Turn off Facebook or your favorite app for just one day.
  • Flip through a travel brochure instead of going online.
  • Wander through an art museum.
  • Go to the library and choose a book at random to read.
  • Pitch a tent in the backyard and dream under the stars.

You get the idea. None of these cost any money or take any more time out of your already busy schedule. They don’t require a ton of effort or imagination. They just work to shake things up in little, non-threatening ways. They wake you up a tiny bit and get your brain moving differently.

Choose one little change and do it for a week. Or choose a different one each day for a week.

Then do it again for another week.

What do you notice that’s different when you make any of these small, random changes? Pay attention to any changes in energy or emotion, or any ideas that bubble up. Jot them in your Story Diary.

Ladder Out of RutI’m not saying your story will change overnight or miraculously. Things may start to feel just a little bit different. You may feel a tiny bit more energized. You may discover or rediscover something that makes your heart beat just a little faster or brings a smile to your face. You may decide to make a bigger change or two, to do that thing you’ve been putting off or to explore something new.

Over time those little changes will start to pile up. Rung by rung, you can build a ladder from them. Rung by rung, you can climb up out of the deep dark rut and back into the sunlight.

You can find your “once upon a time” AND your “happily ever after” by building a ladder of small changes.

~~~~~
This is the 7th post in a 21-post series sparked by Chapter 9 of Fallen, The Adventures of a Deep Water Leaf, in which Lizard suggests that Alora change her story.
#20WaysIn20Days, #ChangeYourStory, #Fallen