Sweet Universe

About 6 weeks ago, my wallet was stolen. This wreaked havoc on my blood pressure and had me peering over my shoulder for a while (a couple of weeks, anyway). I wondered who it was out there who had my personal i.d., but the worst of it was a couple of priceless things I couldn't replace. One of these items was a small card given to me by an aunt 9 years ago, as a memento to remember I was loved right before embarking on a journey to Japan. The other was a note that accompanied flowers sent to me by my husband for my birthday. Silly though it may sound, once my cards were cancelled and replaced, these were the items which made me sad to think about.

It wasn't until very recently (maybe a week or just over), that I resigned myself to the fact that these items were lost, and it didn't matter because they did not represent my relationship to these people--they were, after all, just "things." I finally just let go. It isn't the tangible items we're left with on this journey through life, but the emotions they evoked.

That being said, I received an unexpected phone call yesterday from my boss and friend who happened to receive a phone call from an office down the street from where I work (where my wallet was stolen from). The wallet was thrown into an elevator! After nearly a month and a half, whoever had my wallet decided to dispose of it down the street, in an office where a kind woman had the foresight to locate a business card inside it and phone my workplace, letting my boss know of the wallet's whereabouts. So, today I went and retrieved it, and though my credit cards and debit card were gone (long since cancelled, anyway), my priceless card and note were there, as was everything else.

Now, was the Universe waiting till I learned my lesson of letting go? Perhaps. But, even still, I was overjoyed at having these items back. So, thank you Universe, and thief, for that matter, for not having tossed my wallet into an abyss of lost-ness forever, and for showing me the power of letting go.

Inspired

For many years now, I have silently chosen heroes I've come across. Sometimes it's been strangers who I've seen do something sweet and endearing which reminds me of how good humans can really be, and sometimes it's just some personal actions which inspire me. The stories vary--a couple of weeks ago I spoke to a man and his daughter on the subway who had these two adorable dogs with them. The dogs were previously abused and saved by this father-daughter team. It warmed my heart.

This week, my hero is a woman who has faced numerous adversities in her life, and she continues to rise above it all. She uses the obstacles as motivators, and this time is no different. Lynn Manwar has psoriatic arthritis, which makes some days extremely difficult for her. She has decided to do something extraordinary for her cause. She is going to climb Mount Everest in October of this year. This is an incredible feat for anyone, let alone a woman who has days which sometimes make it difficult to walk. Many of us take advantage of our ability to walk a few blocks to the store or to the bus stop. For this reason, I'm posting the link to her website on my blog in hopes of helping her achieve her goal. If you read her story and are inspired, then let her know. If nothing else, I hope that this at least reminds us to be grateful for the simplest things in life we take for granted.

http://arthritis.akaraisin.com/p/lynnmanwar.aspx