Without a Cell Phone
What would you do if you were leaving for the airport and discovered that your cell phone wasn’t where you thought it was? This was not a hypothetical question for me. Last week I was gathering the last things that I needed to finish my packing when I realized that my phone wasn’t in my hand. I had a distinct memory of picking it up so I could put it in my purse, but it wasn’t in my hand and I couldn’t find it. It was getting late, and I had to leave. So I decided I must have put it in my suitcase, and I’d find it when I got to the airport even though a quick check of my suitcase did not result in my finding my phone. On the way to the airport I was wondering how I was going to manage if, in fact, I did not have my phone. I was going to visit my daughter and grandchildren and I didn’t have her phone number memorized. Calling information for her home phone number wasn’t going to help because she wouldn’t be home and I needed to call her cell phone. Our usual arrangement was that I would call her when my plane landed and then again when I was a few metro stops away from where she always picks me up. I was at a loss. I couldn’t think of a single phone number that would help me get ahold of her.
Calming Myself
As I was trying to stay calm and reassure myself that everything was going to be fine, I heard a voice in my head that I have never heard before. It was very steady and calm as it spoke these words with absolute certainty: “Everything is happening exactly as it is supposed to.” The voice was so reassuring that even though I had no idea how I was going to make connection with my daughter, I knew that somehow it was going to work out. I problem solved with Caroline, who was driving me to the airport. She suggested that I find a computer and email my daughter. That seemed helpful but later I realized that my daughter doesn’t receive email on her phone. I just kept thinking that somehow I would connect with her.
Being Taken Care Of
When I got to the airport, the plane was delayed, which gave me some extra time to think things through. I was still at a loss for ideas when I spotted an empty seat. I sat down, took some deep breaths, closed my eyes and remembered that I had some phone numbers written on a piece of paper in my purse. At least a year earlier I had taken a piece of paper from my old-style phone book with my daughter’s address and all her phone numbers on it to the post office so I’d have the address to mail a package to her. For some reason, I decided to leave that paper in my purse, and there it was just when I needed it. The next steps were relatively easy. I found someone willing to lend me their cell phone. I called my daughter and left her a message telling her that I had left my phone at home, was boarding the airplane soon and would continue to borrow phones to keep her posted on my progress. I thought maybe I would buy a disposable phone with prepaid minutes but I couldn’t find one at the airport and because my daughter had to pick up her children from school, I didn’t have time to make extra stops to look for a place to buy a phone. So I just relied on the kindness of strangers.
What was amazing to me was how easy it was to manage without my phone. Everyone who I asked was very happy to lend me their phone. And there were other surprises. On the metro, a man near me heard me ask my daughter which exit I should take. I repeated what she said to make sure I heard her correctly. It was the side with the parking garages, but that didn’t help me know whether to go right or left. When I got off the phone, the man said, that’s my stop and you turn right to get to the parking garages. Since my plane had arrived late, I knew my daughter was pressured for time. So I had asked her if she wanted me to take a cab from the metro? Although she had responded “no” that we would be OK time-wise, the man offered the information that there were always a lot of taxi cabs at the other exit, even late at night. I really appreciated knowing that because should the need arise in the future, I will now be prepared. As we were exiting the subway car, he said, you can take the elevator right there and avoid having to take your bag down the stairs. I felt like I had a private guide taking care of me every step of the way.
Silver Linings
We talk a lot about silver linings on this show and there were many as I found my way step by step through what would have been a major trauma not too long ago. It actually turned out to be a very positive experience for many reasons. First, I had the calming influence of Caroline, who drove me to the airport never questioning that I would be fine without my phone. I was able to keep myself calm and used the strategy that I’ve suggested to you of breathing to help myself relax and focus. When I realized that I actually had my daughter’s phone number with me, I knew that the Universe was taking care of me. This was not a coincidence. I was being reminded that I am always safe and always being taken care of by my guides and angels. I just need to trust and be quiet enough to listen and observe. Then there were all of the very kind people saying yes to my requests for help or offering help unsolicited. 2 clients earlier in the week had commented about how there aren’t many nice people in the world. What I told them and what I experienced last week-end is that as you heal and say no to abusive relationships, you attract more and more kind people. My world was populated with kind and helpful people. And I was kind to myself by not criticizing myself for misplacing my phone. I went there in mind briefly as an old habit and then let it go. That left me the energy to problem solve and discover that there really wasn’t even a problem. Another bonus was being free of my cell phone for 4 days. It was a much needed break from work and the attachment to technology with the demands it puts on us. I believe that this was part of the reason that I couldn’t find my phone. My guides really wanted me to take a break.
And what did I learn? I learned who I am now: resourceful, calm, certain that the Universe is taking care of me, and I attract kind, helpful people, I know that a break from technology is good and I have a new supportive voice in my head that is more and more frequent. All of this is the exact opposite of my family patterns. I had taken on the fears and anxiety of my family, the feelings of constant crisis and life or death high adrenaline responses to even minor difficulties. Only now am I free of the feeling that something bad is always about to happen, that everything warrants a fight or flight response, nothing is easy and I’m always doing something wrong. To be free of these beliefs and way of experiencing the world has changed me and my life. In fact when I got home, my phone was in the first place I looked and the only place I didn’t think to look before I left for the airport. It was out in plain sight on the bathroom counter. When something like that happens, I know I was blocked by my guides from finding it, and in fact, the voice in my head was right: Everything did happen exactly as it was supposed to!
