A Shift in Perception

Today I woke up feeling stressed. I had promised my good friend, Lalitha, that I would spend the day with her. (Lalitha is a guru friend of mine from India. She is here visiting her family for 2 months, and will soon be going back.) Yet, there was a whole host of things I needed to get done that had fallen by the wayside last week, while I hastened to finish up and timely file an appellate brief.

The day after tomorrow my real estate investing mentor will be here, and I had yet to complete the extensive questionnaire that was supposed to be sent two days ago. As soon as I opened my eyes, thoughts of worry, guilt, and stress greeted me.

I decided not to greet them back, however. Lately, I've been doing a meditation called Love's Pathway that focuses on "being love." Part of that is surrendering whatever negative feelings or fears you have, to love.

Well, I did that this morning, but I didn't feel any better. Still the stress was bearing down on me and telling me I just didn't have time to spend with Lalitha today. So I went to the second level. I asked myself: "How can I bring love to this interaction?

I started thinking about what Lalitha would really enjoy doing today, and came up with a great idea: Mani and pedi! I'd take her to lunch and then treat her to a pedicure. I imagined her soaking her feet in the warm, bubbly water, feeling the massage chair knead her sore back, and smiled with pleasure.

So that's what we did. I took her to lunch and told her about my plans. She was pleased, and said that she also needed a haircut. We made a day of it. Lunch, haircut, pedicure (she loved the foot massage, which she said she gets "at home" (India) every day, and had been missing here!), and a manicure. Lalitha even got red polish on her fingernails, something I'd never seen her do before.

After that, a relaxing nap with the "om" box. Lalitha went home happy, and I was, too. Lately I haven't had time to go to the nail place myself, so I got that done while giving pleasure to my friend.

And still had time to get my questionnaire done, with the help of my stepdaughter.

A Course in Miracles says that a miracle is simply a shift in perception. I saw that happen today, and a day that started with stress, ended with joy.