Tuesday, October 22, 2013

Thoughts become things or in this case people

Today, on my way home from school, I stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up some items for dinner and meals tomorrow. I was standing by the chicken waiting for the lovely stock person to see if there were any chicken thighs in the back. The kids wanted curry chicken for dinner. Needless to say, there weren't. But while I was standing there I looked over by the escalator and saw these two women smelling something. I looked up and the sign said: "Cinnamon Broom: $3.99." Suddenly all I could smell was cinnamon. Surely, the smell was there before I noticed it but now it was in my nostrils singing a little diddy: "Buy me. Take me home." I went over to smell it and it was heaven. It was fall. I could actually see the leaves falling. Pulled back from my daydream by the very real fact that I needed to shop, get home, make dinner, pick up the kids and then finish some school reading, made me put down the broom and walk away. It was too awkward to carry with my hand cart anyway. Well, that smell followed me. All over the store. When I got back upstairs there was no one on line. NO. ONE. For anybody who shops at the UWS (that's Upper West Side, for the uninitiated) TJ's knows that when there is no line you jump on it because if you turn your back the line will be out the door. So, I jump in line but I am still smelling the cinnamon. I make a decision: when I get to the cashier, I will ask if someone can go and grab me one. They are helpful like that. So, there I am standing in line with my hand basket (what the hay are those things called anyway? - Oh, and "what the hay," is a shout-out to my Writing Teacher, Amy - I think she is from the Midwest!), when I realize that I am next. Yay me! So I quickly scan the cashiers to see who is almost done and where I might be going. That's when it happened. I saw sour-puss guy at cashier 29. Now, I may just be extra sensitive but this guy upsets me. He does his job with the appropriate amount of professionalism, but he always acts as though he is doing you a favor by ringing up your stuff and taking your money. You always get the cursory: "How are you?" (I think it's in their work contract!)But that's it. The guy is irritable. And it takes the bloom off the rose of my shopping experience whenever I get him. Well, he is standing there admiring his cuticles (no, seriously), so I think "Oh, he is going to be vain a few more seconds and then I will get the perky girl at register 16. That's closer to the cinnamon broom anyway!" So, I stand there thinking "Please not him. Please not him..." when it happens. The flag at register 29 waves. The happy woman directing cart traffic turns to me and says: "#29." I almost screamed out: "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" But there I was off to #29. Irritable guy. Now I am irritated and I do not want to ask him anything about getting my cinnamon broom. Just ring up my stuff and get me out of here. There I was face to face with my shopping nemesis - and all I could think was "why him, why him!" I left the store without my cinnamon broom. Once outside where the smell of cinnamon was a distant memory I mentally started berating myself. "Thoughts become things, Keisha!" While you were standing there wasting your energy on it not being him - it ended up being him. Just another little trick from the Universe. Trick or wake up call? It was such a slight thing - getting the cashier I didn't want but it reminded me that I have power. My thoughts have power. I learned this all at the knee of my amazing Dean from One Spirit, Franne and her equally fantastic husband Bob. They teach a class called "Infinite Possibilities," based on the work of Mike Dooley. Lesson #1 - Thoughts become things. When I stopped mentally abusing myself for focusing on the cashier and how I could have either ignored him (probably wouldn't have worked the way I think it would), or how I could have sent him love and light (that wasn't going to happen), I was about a half block away from the store. And I stopped. Got comfortable in my body for a second and re-assessed the situation, because I was not taking this drama the next block and a half with me. Bing! My bags were perfectly balanced. I had a really heavy hand basket (that's what it's called!)and it was obvious that I was walking somewhere - everyone in NYC is walking somewhere. So without asking me, he had gotten the sturdy paper bags and began to pack my items. Okay, that last sentence was a bit negative. Rewind. My bags were perfectly balanced. He made it so I could carry them - one in each hand - and not be pulled down by one side. That is a skill. That is thoughtfulness. That is him doing his job. So what if he doesn't smile. He doesn't feel like it. Doesn't harm me one bit. My bags were perfectly balanced. That's how I work to be most days. Balanced (I dropped the perfectly right after having my first kid!). And remembering that "Thoughts become things" is a good way to work toward balance. I am creating my reality. Every. Moment. Don't take my word for it read "Infinite Possibilities" and if you are in the NYC area, take a class with Franne and Bob (or see them next month at the conference in Boston where they will be doing a presentation on their work!. And maybe the next time something is going awry you will realize that your bags are perfectly balanced. And now I will pick up the boys and my cinnamon broom on the way home.