Story Seed

I was walking around in the big snow today. Big wet flakes were blowing in my face, and my mascara was not waterproof so I had my hand up in front of my face in a futile attempt to shield it. Every time I turned a corner, the wind seemed to change direction so that the heavy snow flew directly into my face. I was walking quickly so I could meet my friend on time. I got really hot under my coat, so I loosened the collar to let some air in. Then the wind picked up, so I buttoned up again. A young guy was taking a break from shoveling snow in front of the hospital, and was watching me as I was shielding my face, straightening my coat, and trying to keep my bag from slipping off my shoulder. When I was near him I shared a cheerful, “hello.” And it was warmly returned along with a compliment about my coat.

A little later in my walk I reflected on how cheerful I felt in the midst of the potentially irritating factors. I had practiced yoga right before going out, perhaps making a difference. But in the past I remember times where I was absolutely miserable under similar circumstances. And I realized that how I feel is the seed around which the story of my life unfolds. If I feel relaxed, connected, and confident, a little snow in the face isn’t going to budge my sense of wellness. But, if I feel that the snow is somehow infringing on how I think things should be, I might worry myself into a miserable state, creating a totally different story about the snow. So I can look at the same weather occurrence as fine, miserable or fun, and these different possibilities emerge from how I feel at the time.