It’s 11:11…Make a Wish!

 

It’s 11:11 a.m. and I just made a wish. I didn’t wish for money, or for love, or for fame. I didn’t even wish for myself. I wished that my coworker Lexi would find the file that she lost on her computer this morning. Almost every morning at this time I make a wish for someone else. I feel like it’s the little things in life that cause the big changes we long to see, and maybe this little wish will be the impetus for someones big change.

 

Another little way that I send out love for someone else is to pray when I hear a siren. The way I figure it, if I hear a siren it’s either a police cruiser or an emergency vehicle, and it cannot be going anywhere that fast for a good thing. I send out a little prayer for whoever is involved in the incident as well as the officer, paramedic, or firefighter responding. I believe strongly in the power of prayer and its effects. I’ve seen nothing but good come of a prayer, and it can’t hurt to try.

 

Although I’d like to say that these wishes and prayers for others are a purely altruistic endeavor, I feel that I am the one who benefits. When I’ve made that wish and said that prayer, a feeling of peace comes over me, and for just a moment I feel like I’ve made a difference in the world. Sometimes I find out later that my wish for someone has come true, and most of the time I will never know, but I feel good all the same.

 

So, take a moment today and make a wish for someone else or say a prayer for a stranger in distress. You never know if someone is doing the same for you. I’m hoping that maybe today I’ll be rewarded and hear that Miss Lexi has found her missing file!

QUACK! QUACK!

QUACK, QUACK, QUACK!

 

I heard a phrase the other day that piqued my interest, and it has become my personal motto of late. The phrase is “like water off of a duck’s back.” UrbanDictionary.com defines the common phrase as “an insult that rolls off you like water off a duck’s back is one that is ignored.” I have found this phrase to be helpful not only in deflecting wayward verbal insults, but insults on my piece of mind and spirit as well.

 

The boss snapped at me this morning? “Like water off of a duck’s back” for me. The large red SUV in the slow lane cut me off? “Like water off of a duck’s back” for me as well. I’m sure you see the pattern here. All day long I let the little irritations of my life go softly, all the while imagining a little yellow duck happily swimming along with all of the cares of the world rolling down his back like drops of water.

 

I know that this approach sounds too simple to possibly work, but that is the true beauty of the process. Something so simple is foolproof for me. There’s no long drawn-out procedure or time-consuming plan to it. I simply acknowledge the insult and let it go.

 

Now, I’ll be honest with you. I am a constant work-in-progress, and my mood and ability to put the plan of the duck in action are often compromised.I am, however, becoming better every day. The more people who I share my duck’s philosophy with, the more people remind me to “quack” when I’m stressed or hurt by an outside source. I need that motivation.

 

So the next time you’re feeling put down upon or insulted, try to be like that adorable care-free duck, and let the stressors roll of your back and on its way.

 

QUACK, QUACK!