Reach Out!

Did you ever have one of those weeks when everything seemed to go wrong?

I hadn't seen my sister for some time and decided to take a week off to go to her place. The drive was over seven hours from my home so I wanted to allow enough time to enjoy the trip. Before that happened, however, she was taken by ambulance to Regina for emergency surgery so the week that I was to spend with her was moved up. That meant that all my clients had to be rebooked. When I was driving in Saskatchewan I realized that the OnStar in my new car wasn't working so that meant I would have to book a trip to the dealership when I returned to have it checked.

I was only home for a couple of days when the ceiling in my laundry room started leaking so badly that the tiles were saturated and it looked like the whole thing was going to fall down. A little research revealed that the heating coil in the furnace that ran through the ceiling had burned out. Now I was looking at a big expense and a couple of days with workers in my condo to do the repairs.

On top of that, it was hard to find parking space near my office so I was always trying to figure out how to deal with that. Then, the office computer went down and we couldn't get any emails for four days!

When my "week off" arrived, I decided to only work on the Friday so that I wouldn't be too far behind. Usually I am very calm and can see the positives in life but the worry about my sister and all the technical problems were starting to get to me. It was supposed to be my "days off" but I was feeling like a very tired general contractor!

After two trips to the office on Tuesday we finally got the computer system working and completed the configuration for an upcoming computer conference. That was the day that the fellows took down the furnace in my condo. On Wednesday, I was called at 7:45 a.m. regarding installation plans for the furnace. The work was finally completed that afternoon shortly after the car dealership called to tell me that the new mirror for my car would be installed on Thursday between 7 a.m. and 8 a.m. So much for sleeping in!

In the middle of all this, my mood was slipping and I really didn't feel like myself. I needed a break and wasn't getting one. I called my son and he laughed when I told him that I was driving down the street with a Praise and Worship CD blaring, hoping that the message would sink in.

And it did! The chorus "Give thanks" was partway through when I arrived at the Credit Union. A young woman was standing in front of the machine and talking on her cellphone while she entered a transaction. I couldn't help but hear her say "I only have $10.84 to my name". Then it was my turn at the machine. I made a deposit and then asked for $40.00 cash. The woman left but her words stayed with me. "I only have $10.84 to my name".

I got into my car and decided that an ice cream cone would be a good idea. After a couple of block, to my surprise, I noticed the woman walking down the street.

Without a lot of thought I pulled over to the side of the road and rolled down my window. The lady came over to the car and I asked her if she was having a hard time right now. She admitted that she was because she was a student during the day and couldn't find work in the downtown area that would begin after 5 p.m. I asked if I could help her out a little bit and at first she was hesitant but then agreed.

I reached into my purse and pulled out one of the $20.00 bills and gave it to her. She almost jumped into the car she was so excited. She said "I just have to shake your hand" and in the process dropped the money back into the car. She told me that she had dropped off two resumes that day and was hoping to get work because she needed it and I said I was also hoping she would do well.

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own "stuff" that we don't realize how hard life can be for others. The things that got me back to where I wanted to be were the reminders to "Give Thanks", the opportunity to reach out to someone in a truly helpful way and her very positive reaction.

I drove away thinking "How often do we get to share a little but, at the same time, triple the net worth of another individual?" Life is good (again)!

And now I would like to invite you to claim your Free Instant Access to a complimentary list of 10 Steps to Making Your Life an Adventure when you visit http://lindahancock.com

From Dr. Linda Hancock, Registered Psychologist and Registered Social Worker