Driving Principles

Lessons Learned on the Road of Life

Archive for the category “Toasted”

Here Comes the Sun

“Here comes the sun… do do do do

Here comes the sun, and I say

“It’s all right…”

We’ve all been waiting for summer or even spring-like weather, haven’t we? My housewarming party was scheduled two weeks out… and it snowed the next day. So I watched the forecast. It was supposed to be sunny. The extended forecast said so. But then, this is Montana weather we are talking about. We can have all four seasons in one day!

As the May 4th date approached the forecast changed from sunny and warm to rainy. Rain! Yikes! Not good for a party meant to be held outdoors! I kept saying “It’ll clear.” Saturday morning dawned clear and crisp and cool, with scattered clouds on the horizon…. I kept saying… “It’ll clear.” As 3:30 rolled in, so did the clouds. It started to rain. The party was supposed to begin at 4:00! What would I do?

I had set up speakers outside under a 10’ by 10’ shade cover – or in this case – rain cover.  I went inside and sat at the DJ seat and scanned the computer. The Beach Boys had been playing, but somehow thoughts of the beach weren’t what I wanted… then I spotted it – the Beatles! “Here comes the sun….  Here comes the sun…. and I say… It’s all right…..” I turned up the volume and went outside and sang along, staring at the sky…. “Here comes the sun…. and I say…. It’s all right….”

At 4:00 O’clock the doorbell rang. It was the first set of guests, arriving together. That’s when I noticed – it had stopped raining! It continued to get warmer and cleared off and the party was a great success! “It’s all right.”

My fellow Toastmasters…. Guests – is it just possible… that our intentions in the space can actually affect our experience? Could our attitude change the weather?  “And I say…”

 

Did I mention that actually getting approval for the mortgage for the new home was a long tedious process? Made especially so due to my recent divorce decree.  My credit was great – around 800 – but…. I now had an alimony payment, a child support payment, mandatory Blue Cross Blue Shield medical insurance payment, and some debt on my credit card, due partly to the cost of the divorce….

There were times that I had doubts…. And I had to keep clearing my thoughts… “Yes, the mortgage will be approved.”
And then there would be some other paperwork to get – like a certified copy of the divorce decree – a sealed document that the bank HAD to have…. And I didn’t even have a copy!

My son and I started hanging out at the house at lunch time. I’d pick him up at CMR at noon, run over to Burger King, get some chow, and then go park in the driveway and eat on the back patio of the house.  I took a couple of lawn chairs over and left them there just for this purpose. We let the dog run around in the yard. And we imagined the feeling if this were our house…. And we never gave up the thought that ‘this is our house.’ And then, five days before the scheduled closing date, the “Processors” finally approved the mortgage! “It’s all right….”

Did I mention that it is a great house, and it was a great party?

“It’s all right…”

I’ve been asked more than once how I come up with ideas for a speech. My answer? I just look at what I’m living. The answer – the question – the idea – is always present.  I don’t go thinking hard about what I might want to say. I let it bubble up from what I am living. And the ideas bubble up through a filter that I like to refer to as “Intention.” I have a singular intention to stay ‘present.’ In this the past falls away.

Doubts arise from where? The past.  Fears arise from what? The past.  Joy is experienced when? Now.  You said it because you know it to be true. Within each of us IS the answer to every question, and the guide to every present moment.  We just need to drop our ideas of the past being “now” and not let the rain of doubt and fear dampen our parade!

When Joan asked me to give a speech, I said: “It’s all right.”

When thoughts take us down – we know it, don’t we? We can feel it. It doesn’t FEEL happy. So when it doesn’t feel happy, let’s make a vow to do this:

Turn up the volume, and hold this thought:

“Here comes the sun…. it’s all right….”

 

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