How is That Working for You?

There are times when it seems like few things are really working for me.

For some reason I cannot get my computer or iPad to do what I want it to do. A tool or piece of equipment I have depended on over and over will not work now, when I need it. There is a problem with my car, or my phone, or something else.

That does not even begin to consider the people around me, or the ideas in my head.

There are times when I am what is not working for someone else, or for myself. Someone expects me to do something, but I have other plans. I am past the deadline for something that needs to be written, and cannot even get started. I want to see myself as a certain kind of person, and I am not acting the way that person would act.

There are times when the assumptions we make about our lives and the world around us do not work. I have listened to people catalog their frustrations with things that are not working the way they should. They have met their end of the bargain; exceeded expectations, made things work. After all their work and sacrifice they are still unsatisfied, and they ask Why?

When I feel stuck, it helps me to take time for a few deep breaths and to remember.

Sometimes I remember how to persuade my phone to do what I want it to do. Sometimes I remember that nobody exceeds all their expectations all the time. Sometimes I remember how the sun feels when it shines on my face.

Sometimes it helps to remember the reasons I am doing what I do.

How are things working for you?

What works for you when things do not seem to be working?

[Image by Thomas Leth-Olsen]