From Irritation to Inspiration: It’s Right Around the Corner
I think it’s fair to say that most people who know me will consider me a person who sees the cup half full, someone who is able to find the best in a situation or even make lemonade out of lemons, and it’s nice, I suppose, to imagine that people see me that way, the veritable positive person, the one who can handle things because nothing seems to bother her.
I’m a life coach, after all, aren’t I supposed to be? Above all that? And maybe from another’s perspective, that appears to be true, but I can assure you that at any given moment, there are a myriad of bothersome things of all shapes and sizes vying for my attention, from a nagging cough that won’t go away after six weeks, to a stressful situation that remains unresolved after four months. The buzz-saw out my window as I write this now, or the fact that nothing was open yet yesterday morning when I arrived on Church Street bright and early to do some Christmas shopping. Being bothered is always available to us, but you know what? So is delight. It’s way easier to default to irritation, but the less traveled path to delight is always just around the corner, and just around the corner is exactly where I found it early yesterday morning while I was waiting for the shops to open.
It had been close to 17 years since I last and first visited Henry’s Diner, although when I sat down on the bar stool at the counter, I told the waitress it had been about 100 years. I joked partly because it felt so long, but mostly because I felt the need to call myself out, before someone else did, as the only non-regular in what clearly was a local haunt. The amazing and delightful thing, though, was that the waitress didn’t skip a beat and said well then, you’ve been with us from the very beginning, handing me the bright yellow menu which proudly had established in 19, written across the front. I smiled at the waitress and felt glad that I had changed my mind and chose to sit at the counter rather than the booth, which I nearly did, because it seemed safer and more anonymous there. I didn’t open the menu right away. Savoring the moment and taking in the scene, I took off my jacket and gloves and then twisted around on my stool, charmed by the school bus, yellow banquette seats and the animated faces of the daily diners. It was snowing quite heavily outside the window now, and I felt cozy and warm as I spun back around to choose my breakfast cozy and warm.
As I spun back around to choose my breakfast, the short order cook was masterfully slicing and dicing masses of potatoes and spreading them across the griddle to make home fries, all the while happily chattering with the waitresses who stood by waiting for their orders. I wasn’t particularly hungry but knew that having a cup of coffee in a diner mug at the counter was the quintessential experience that I wanted to have. I was proud of myself for refraining from asking if they made specialty coffees. Breakfast was delicious and when it was time to go I asked the waitress for a refill in a to-go cup, and she tucked my check under the sugar jar and said no hurry. I appreciated the reminder to slow down and took my time putting on my coat and gloves. I thanked her and gave her a generous tip, wishing her a joyous holiday season.
You know it might have been easy for me in that moment to feel a little sad, actually, as I’ve been bothered lately by something that makes accessing joy a little more difficult for me right now, especially at the holiday season. Remember how I said, that being bothered is always available to us, but the less traveled path to delight is always just around the corner traveled path to delight is always just around the corner. I stepped out into the snowy scene and could see that the lights were on in the shops now, but rather than going in right away to start my shopping, I sipped my coffee as I wandered the cobblestone blocks and looked at the Christmas tree at the top of the marketplace. Holiday carols were piping through the garlanded street and I smiled as I passed the bookstore which had my book on the shelf inside.Just then, I saw an elderly, homeless woman huddled against a building trying to stay warm. Without thinking, I offered her my cup of coffee, which was now half empty, or was it? She smiled with thanks and gratefully took it from me.
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