There are times when a simple conversation shifts the way we ‘see’ life. It is so easy to get caught up in the daily worries of job security, bills, looks, finances etc. And then, unexpectedly we encounter someone whose main purpose is to help us de-clutter our thinking and view life through more appreciative lens.

I woke up today worrying about the usual suspects: a long list of bills to pay, paperwork to submit at my kids’ school, some home renovations I wanted to get done asap and an investment account I’d been working on for the past two weeks. There was of course the more urgent task of finding someone to assemble a piece of furniture (bed and book case for my 15 year old) and the most daunting of all was getting a ‘Before’ and ‘After’ school program for my three youngest kids. And trust me,  that is a near impossible task to accomplish in the middle of September!

I figured I’d get started with the furniture business and the local 411 didn’t yield any luck. At least, no one that was willing to come out today to get it done!  It was in this state of anxiety that I was soaked, when I met Mrs M.

Her furniture store was across the road from my home and in less than 5 minutes, she was kind enough to get me a an appointment for the task at hand. We got chatting about the stress of living in today’s world, raising a family, challenges at work…and she made a very poignant comment. She said nothing else could possibly happen that’ll be worse than what has. As I arched a brow in confusion, she went on to explain to me that she’d mourned the death of her parents earlier this year to cancer, has personally survived two life- altering surgeries and was even billed for another one. Also, her son had conquered cancer in this 2011 too!!! She went on to say that that in all of these tumultuous events, she was so thankful for her faith in God because she couldn’t even begin to imagine  living without it. She explained to me that it was in these dark periods that she grew to truly know herself and what truly matters in her life. Namely: her family, giving back to her community, bearing witness to God’s majesty in her work place and simply living each day as her last because, as she pointed wryly,  it may very well be!

It was the effervescent air and inner glow around her that struck me the most. She spoke with passion, honesty and an openness that I haven’t encountered in a long, long while. We then talked at length about faith, following our dreams in life and not settling for people or things or situations based on fear or what is expected of us. With each moment I spent with her, the knot of anxiety in my chest seemed to get more lax until I started feeling buoyant and free…almost like a floating sensation. And it hit me; this is what joy, without the shadow of fear, feels like.  I came out of that store knowing that everything will be fine today. And Tomorrow? Its just way too far to worry about. And no, I didn’t get everything done on my list but that’s okay. And I know this because…… I just know.

Friends, if you have nothing at all, have faith and carry her with you around your neck everywhere.  Faith, my dears,  is a beautiful treasure to own. Live beautifully, live passionately, live freely.

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Remember, you are not ordinary, you are divinely unique.

You are WOW (Wonderful One-of-a-kind Woman)!

w(H)olistically Yours,

Whole Woman Network