Stress Buster Tip: There really are angry birds!

I did it again.  I asked my dog Kiddo to take a walk so I could get inspiration for a newsletter.  When will I learn?  

Often when Kiddo and I walk, there are mockingbirds singing away.  Kiddo is enamored with them and she stands at full point, staring.  Yesterday as we walked, a mockingbird swooped down and went toward Kiddo.  Let me assure you I had learned my lesson from our road kill fiasco- I was not on my cell phone and was present in our walk.

I pulled Kiddo away from the bird, as they are very aggressive.  Known as “the bullies of the bird world”, I was protecting my dog from possible harm.  Wouldn’t you?  I got tangled in her legs, fell off the curb, and landed on my wrist and arm.  Yes, I broke it, cut my arm, received a tetanus shot. I will need surgery.

My husband comes to the ER and the first comforting words that come out of his mouth:  “You should have been more mindful. Mr. not-mindful himself is sharing his wisdom with me. Are you kidding?  I am happy to report that he is still alive and well (it is good I teach how to un-hook from reaction.)  

As I look hard for the lesson, I am reminded of a story I shared years back.  It’s worth repeating:

Years ago my husband, daughter and I were driving home from her art class when we went under an overpass and heard a loud thump.  Something had hit our car, splattered and cracked our windshield.

As we pulled over, saw something had mashed and were speculating about what could possibly cause that kind of damage.  I speculated; “it must have been a cantaloupe or watermelon to do that kind of damage”.  

My daughter took a look and came back reporting that it was a banana.  

I was outraged that someone purposely threw a banana, (probably frozen) on our car! 

After some time reacting, talking about the velocity, I began to ponder what the message was.  Following a few moments of deep contemplation,  I  announced that it was probably a sign for us to slow down and take things easy.

With this, my wise husband replied:  “Maybe it was just a banana!”

There are times where we have experiences and there was nothing we did to provoke another or cause the situation.  We still have a choice — our attitude.  I am choosing to see this for what it was:  One angry bird!

With this said, typing and performing daily tasks with only one hand is forcing me to be in the moment and aware of each action.  I guess there is a deeper meaning in this after all: slow down, accept what is, and ride the waves of life.

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