In the past two weeks, our refrigerator has broken twice.
Fortunately, we have a backupβa small one we kept from our previous home that we mostly use to store bulk goods and beverages. So while the fridge breaking has been inconvenient and not cheap to repair, it was manageable.
However, dealing with the fallout was expensive in both time and money. The repairman has been here three times now, and weβve moved everything between fridges the same number times. (Weβre still waiting to see if the second repair took before moving stuff back for what we hope is the final time.) Opening the wrong fridge five times a day because of muscle memory and habit (when the "wrong one" keeps shifting). Cleaning up blueberry juice from everything in the freezer (and the mess it made on the floor)βtwice. Playing Tetris to get everything to fit into our backup fridgeβor just to find that bag of frozen peas we know is in there somewhere!
Still, there have been benefits. Our main fridge is clean now, for instance. :-) Iβve been meaning to get that done for ages. Not to mention getting the freezer organized. Some resets donβt happen until theyβre forced upon us.
Other resets, we choose for ourselves. But that doesnβt make them less chaotic.
A new job that requires a move to a different city.
Getting married or having a baby and having to rearrange your life around another personβs needs and rhythms.
Renovating. Starting a new career. Getting divorced. Getting a kitten.
One of the things Iβve had to learn over and over is that there is no perfect moment where life stops being chaotic. In the past two months, Iβve made major changes to my business structure. My son moved outβand then moved back. (Yes, it was a quick learning experience.) I picked up a new volunteer commitment.
Doctorβs appointments. Vet appointments. Trying to keep up with family and friends. A major holiday.
All this while I was implementing a major reset of the project management system I use to keep all my many responsibilities plates spinning.
Life is messy. Being in relationships is messy. And anytime a change happensβwhich is oftenβthings tend to get messier before they get better, even if the net results of that change are positive.
So, instead of looking for some perfect, mythological future moment when everything is in balance and stress-free, Iβm working on embracing the chaos. Finding beauty in the imperfections. And looking for the things I can enjoy and feel grateful for, even in the middle of it.
Yes, resets can make things even messier for a while. But on the way back to order, there can be some truly wonderful moments. Like that trip down memory lane while unpacking a box of photo albums into a new location. Or discovering a new and better option that you never would have considered if the reset hadnβt taken place.
Some resets are forced on us, and some we choose. But no matter which we may find ourselves in (because, life being life, I would wager youβre experiencing change in at least one area right now), look for the moments of wonder in the chaos.
Those are where the joy and magic live.
βThe space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.β
One of my characters who experiences a major forced reset is Delanie in Every Star that Shines (Peace Crossing Book 1), when she loses her acting career and her boyfriend right after she thought sheβd finally βmade it.β Want to experience the joy that comes out of her mess? Check out the book here.
What's a book or story you read that helped awaken you to joy and magic? Doesn't need to be recently. I'd love to hear about it. Reply and let me know!
