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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Be Here Now: The Right Place at the Right Time


Yesterday I watched the afternoon news, something I rarely do. I've given up on watching the TV news because my brain has lost some of its ability to manage intense stimuli due to fibromyalgia. For me, the news is all about sensationalized tragedy and over-the-top stories about everything that is wrong with the world. I don't need all that negativity in my life, so I don't watch the news anymore.

Anyway, I stepped out of the living room to use the ladies room and heard the next news story beginning...

"Consumers with front loading washers are complaining about a smell coming from their machines," the female newscaster started.

Just great, I thought, they are going to explain why my wash machine is smelly and I am sitting here otherwise occupied!

Fortunately, like many TV news stories, you don't always have to be watching the TV to get the gist of the story. What I heard is that there appears to be a flaw in the design of front loading wash machines which allows mold to grow beneath the door seal. Sure enough, I made my next stop the laundry room, pulled out a folding stool stored there and took a closer look with the flashlight I grabbed on my way through the hallway. Sure enough, I could see mold growing underneath the gray seal.

I'm not sure why I never looked here before to discover the source of the smell coming from the washer. Every time I stuck my head into washer to discern the source of the odor, I focused on the shiny, stainless steel drum. All this time I had overlooked the gray seal as the source of the problem.


WasherImage by Editor B via Flickr

In this moment, I experienced the magic of being in the right place at the right time. In these situations, it seems like the universe suddenly provides you with what you need, be it information, a resource or the opportunity to meet someone who can help you. You definitely need to be living in the now to take advantage of these moments. But contrary to popular belief, I think that these experiences are waiting to happen more often than we are aware.

I believe that every day, the universe offers us what we need to live our lives. I'm not talking about money raining down from the sky ... although there is the odd story about even this happening. What I'm talking about are the lessons and experiences that teach us how to fully live our lives. Like the Chinese Proverb says: "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. I guess an updated version might be this one from Marianne Williamson's Facebook page: Expect less from other people; expect more from universal supply.

Either way, you need to be paying attention to see the clues that lead you to fishing lessons and universal supply. I think most of our discoveries are just moments when we happen to be paying attention to the "here and now." Which I guess makes living in the "here and now" always the "right place at the right time."


Share your thoughts and stories about being in the right place at the right time by leaving a comment below.


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