This past
weekend, the wind blew. And blew. And Blew. As it did, folks lost shingles and
siding and a whole lot of people lost power. We were one of those people and it
lasted for about thirty-six hours.
In some
respects, it felt like Kim and I were camping. Yes, it was a really nice “camper”
(it being our house), but still, it got mighty cold. We layered up. Kim had her
Netflix downloaded on her device and as long as it was charged, she was pretty
much good to go. I wrote and read. Took a nap or two.
Because we were
limited as to what we could eat, we went out . . . along with half of the
county we live in. The following day, we went to a movie. It wasn’t great, but
at least it was warm and popcorn is always good, right?
Got me thinking
. . .
There are times
when we plan something, big or small, and for one reason or another it doesn’t
work or come together. Sometimes we’re At The Mercy Of timing or Karma or kismet
or luck. Goonies and gremlins and goblins. Whatever. There are times when
Mother Nature does her thing and we lose all control because Mother Nature does
what Mother Nature does.
Plans, no matter
how tightly we package them, no matter how we try to plan for every possible
scenario, sometimes fall apart because we can’t control everything. And we
shouldn’t expect to.
Remember when I
said that “people lost power?”
Sometimes we don’t
have any power even though we think we do.
That’s an
important statement: sometimes we don’t have any power even though we think we
do.
We can’t control
weather. We can’t control time. We can’t control people.
What we can
control, and perhaps the only thing we can control, is how we deal with it.
What we can control is how we react to it.
On the surface, it
doesn’t seem like a lot, does it?
But . . .
It actually is
quite a bit. Think for a moment of yourself in your car driving along at a nice
clip and you encounter a slow driver. Can’t get around him. Or ever been on a
highway and you’re caught behind a truck trying to pass another truck? Both trucks
end up going the same speed for what seems like miles and the parade builds up
behind you. We end up At The Mercy Of those two trucks.
Or do we?
Yes, for what
seems like an eternity, we are forced to slow down and get in line. But
consider for a second that instead of a road rage moment, we relax. We take a
deep breath. Because the reality is that we can’t control the truck. We can’t
control the driver. We can’t control the driving conditions.
We can only
control ourselves. We can choose to remain in power. Yes, sometimes it’s
uncomfortable and we would rather slam on the horn or yell or flick someone
off. Been there and done that. I end up At The Mercy Of myself. I lose control.
I lose my focus. I lose my temper, my patience, my mind.
Wouldn’t it be
better to be in control and remain in control even though all around you a mess
is happening? Wouldn’t it be better for us to focus, relax, breathe and regain composure?
I think when we recognize that the only control we have in life is over
ourselves, we’ll be a lot happier. We’ll be at peace. I would rather be at my
own mercy than At The Mercy Of someone or something else. Wouldn’t you?
Something to think about . . .
Live Your Life,
and Make A Difference!
To My Readers:
My fifth work of
thriller/suspense fiction, Caught in a Web, is now available for
preorder at http://bit.ly/2GtdsXL . If you purchase your book prior to the
publication date of April 26, 2018, you may use the promo code: PREORDER2018 to receive a 10% discount.
I hope you check it out.
Here is what it is
about:
The bodies of
high school and middle school kids are found dead from an overdose of heroin
and fentanyl. The drug trade along the I-94 and I-43 corridors and the
Milwaukee Metro area is controlled by MS-13, a violent gang originating from El
Salvador. Ricardo Fuentes is sent from Chicago to Waukesha to find out who is
cutting in on their business, shut it down and teach them a lesson. But he has
an ulterior motive: find and kill a fifteen-year-old boy, George Tokay, who had
killed his cousin the previous summer.
Detectives Jamie
Graff, Pat O’Connor and Paul Eiselmann race to find the source of the drugs,
shut down the ring, and find Fuentes before he kills anyone else, especially
George or members of his family. The three detectives discover the ring has its
roots in a high school among the students and staff.
Please feel free to connect with me at:
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