#113: Just Breathe.

Timing is key, which applies to all things in life, good or bad. Today, I managed to get a dose of bad timing.

I was ready for a big day. Homemade burger buns, burgers, oven fries and chocolate cakes were on my to-do-list this morning. All done. Very well done even. I was happy with me and the world around me.

It would be my vintage Citroën HVan’s first day in action after more than half a year without a running engine. A total of 160 person-hours went into it. Had I not already invested so much time, energy and money, I would have walked away from it some time ago. I would go as far as saying that I have built rapport with that vehicle.

All packed. Ready for take-off. And then the engine doesn’t start. Not now, please. Wife and sister-in-law rush to help to no avail.

Disappointed doesn’t describe it. Sad. Angry. Flat. Tired. Empty.

There I was sitting in my HVan thinking about my options. Screaming and shouting? Demolishing the car once and for all? Laughing about the awkwardness of the situation?

I eventually parked the car, moved all equipment and the food into the family car and drove to where I was meant to feed my co-workers and friends. They were super happy with the food. They didn’t miss the HVan, the coffee machine and whatever else I associated with the car. The problem was solely in my head. It was my problem, nobody else’s.

The great thing about your problems is that you can decide how to deal with them. Do I want to give it the power to ruin my day? Do I just put it on hold for today? Most problems don’t run overnight and even if they did, what better outcome could there be?

Just breathe.

Now that I reflect on the day, it was a shitty one. Not just because of the car. There was more to it.

And yet, I made a few people happy. Someone called me to thank me. He was super happy with the few energy bars I had sent him and his team into the office. Out of the blue. For no good reason. The people I tried to make happy today were very happy, too.

So who am I to judge my day solely on the basis of how I experienced it?

I can, but I don’t have to.

It’s a choice.

Today, tomorrow and the day after.

Happy to make that choice. Deliberately.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t such a bad day today.

Breathing helps.