Listening 101

"Within every adversity lies the seed of opportunity."

People assume that this phrase refers to some huge adversity and phoenix-like rise from the ashes, like losing a job only to be offered a better, higher paying job, or breaking up with a significant other only to run into one's soulmate the next day.  But I submit to you that this refers to any adversity, however small, that you may face -- from misplacing your keys to oversleeping when you have an appointment.  There is a lesson to be learned even from the minutia of our lives, if only we learn to listen.

Today, Big Bren misplaced a new packet of Allen wrenches.  The sky fell and the flowers wailed (I exaggerate, but only a smidgen).  There was door slamming and some words I cannot repeat in a family blog.  There were recriminations ("Did you move my Allen wrenches??  Why can't I ever find anything in this house????) and things cavalierly tossed out of their places (my laptop, thankfully in its case, was a victim) in an attempt to unearth the "lost" wrenches.  The one thing that never came out of Big Bren's mouth was: "I should have put my wrenches in a place where I could find them. "

For me, life offers a myriad of opportunities for improvement on a daily basis.  Like a kid, however, I often cover my ears and scream "la la la la la" while it's speaking.  I don't want to see the reflection of my weaknesses and my faults in whatever I'm going through.  I refuse to acknowledge that I have created unfavorable situations in my life and I most definitely do not want to hear that I -- and I alone -- have to find a way to resolve them.  I prefer to think that someone will come along and find my wrenches, instead of realizing that once I change my slovenly ways, the wrenches will appear during the cleanup.   Too often, we foist responsibility onto others for things we should be taking care of ourselves.  We want someone else to not only keep track of our "stuff," but also to clean up the mess we've made when we go through our "stuff."  No one is responsible for you.  No one can make you happy.  Or prosperous.  Or joyful.  Those things, and everything you're seeking, originate within you.  Find the seed of opportunity within that seemingly adverse situation, plant it and see what grows.