Today I had an interesting experience. A flat tire. I normally would accept the situation, deal with it and move on, but I had a flat tire on the same car yesterday. What is going on?! Here I am now at the car dealership waiting close to two hours. There is no telling when I might get out of there.
I sat outside the waiting room in a chair by the glass windows in the showroom. As I gazed outside at a dewy meadow of Chicago traffic, many thoughts raced through my mind about this situation. Did I drive over a family of nails? Was there a reason I had to spend all this time at the dealership?
I made the choice to make the best of it. I began to make phone calls to friends and family who I hadn’t talked to in a while. The time flew right by.
Then something purposeful happened in the midst of my adversity. A salesman, rather elderly looking, dressed very nicely, walked over to say hi. He was filled with an energy and enthusiasm that you could feel across the room. He shook my hand and said, “How you doing today, young man?”
“Okay,” I responded. “I got a flat tire today. I’m just waiting for it to be fixed. How is your day?”
“My day is great! When you are almost 90 years old, every day is a great day. In one year, I will be 90 years old.”
“Wow. That’s great! Any advice you can give me?” “Just make the most of it!”
I got goose bumps, ‘cause I had just told myself this less than an hour ago. I believe we are surrounded with purposeful moments just waiting to fill our lives with understanding, guidance and wisdom. I found the opportunity in my adversity. It’s hard to see when you are frustrated, but if you relax a bit, purpose will present itself.
Tags: Opportunity in Adversity
