Trust and Gratitude

I have been on a spiritual path for some years now, and one of the things I have been learning recently is how to trust. Trust in a Higher Power, trust in the Universe, trust in myself.

Having gratitude has been an important factor in helping me to trust. Writing a gratitude list every day is supposed to be especially helpful. I say the list in my head rather than writing it down as I’m just too damn lazy! It doesn’t seem to matter though as I really feel like the magic is starting to work.

An example of this happened the other day when I went shopping with my daughter and she insisted on driving to a mall 45 minutes away. After an eternity of waiting outside the changing room, she emerged clutching an article that cost more than double what I had anticipated spending. I picked myself up off the floor and dutifully handed over my credit card. Of course, the very next morning she decided that it was too small and needed to exchange it!

I took a deep breath to stop myself from saying “I told you so” and tried not to be cross with the thought of having to drive all that way again. I decided, instead, to ‘let the problem go’ into the Universe and trust that the solution would present itself.

I then took the dog out for a walk.

During the walk, I took my iPhone from my pocket, then accidentally dropped it onto the ground. The glass screen shattered into pieces. We were on a strict financial budget at the moment and I was sure my husband would not be pleased. Again, I ‘let it go’ and listed a few things for which I was grateful.

When I got home, my husband was remarkably restrained. He just raised his eyebrows slightly, went online and discovered that there was a place in San Francisco which would replace the screen really cheaply. When I looked at the map, I realized it was also only a couple of blocks away from a branch of the store where my daughter wanted to exchange the item. So I could kill two birds with one stone.

I made a quick call to friend to see if she wanted to accompany me and we had a wonderful afternoon driving into San Francisco, which we both adore, chatting, laughing and catching up. She was able to sit in the car as I double parked outside the repair store and also while I ran in to exchange my daughter’s purchase. As I skipped out holding my newly mended iPhone, I spied a store opposite called The Happy Donut! Well … who could resist that?

All in all, I was able to turn a couple of potentially irritating mishaps into a great afternoon. I realize that it my choice to be happy and I find I am more able to make happier choices when I practice gratitude and when I trust in the Universe.