Stepping Back
It was 3:38pm on Wednesday, and it hit me that my daughter had an orthodontist appointment that day…at 3:30pm. We were on the wrong side of town, too late and too far away to make it to the appointment. I was so mad at myself. I had a couple excuses for my mess-up, but I was really letting this mistake get to me. On another day, I may have been able to laugh this one off. Wednesday was not that day. I screwed up (a.k.a., my pride was hurt). Rescheduling an appointment like that one was going to be tough, which created more work for me to rearrange things (a.k.a., my life gained an inconvenience). Then I felt bad for disrupting the ortho office’s schedule (a.k.a., finally a “real” concern, because it was a concern for someone other than myself).
An hour or so passed, but I was having a hard time letting this go. I called the ortho office to apologize again (and to reschedule), but the feeling still wasn’t shaking. I told my husband what had happened, and he simply said, “Maybe you weren’t supposed to drive that way today.”
His words clicked with me. My disposition was immediately humbled and calmed. By stepping back from the missed appointment situation, Gabe brought me to a wider lens view that put things in a better perspective. Maybe we weren’t supposed to drive that way on Wednesday. My husband did not know that our 15-year old son had been driving our daughter and me that afternoon. (That sentence was in no way indicative of Blaine’s driving ability :) )
You can probably fill in your own blank with that scenario. Maybe it was not a forgotten appointment that inconvenienced your day. Maybe it was a change in plans that required you to be flexible. A quibble with someone at work. The store being out of stock of your go-to pasta sauce. In the big scheme of things, these are all really small worries. By stepping back and putting each inconvenience in perspective with a larger reality, things don’t seem so bad anymore.
Since Easter Sunday, the Church’s readings have reminded us of the larger reality - what really matters. In Acts of the Apostles, we encounter a “re-cap” of Jesus’ death and resurrection and all the important things that St. Luke was divinely inspired to share. Easter Sunday alone was great enough to culminate and remind us of the sacrifice and Hope of the Christian life. However, the Church, in her wisdom, gives us writings to replay all the wondrous realities of the “big picture” of our Christian faith.
I hope the next time life’s inconveniences cross my path, I am able to step back and remember the larger reality. There’s something bigger than my own pride or my own inconvenience. From my mistakes and my difficulties, there is something larger to be reminded of and gained. By stepping back, we often learn a lesson in humility, patience, or understanding.
For stepping back and being reminded of the need for peace…Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us.
