.....obstacles

Yogis,

This wasn’t the first time this happened. There is a good chance you may have experienced this yourself.  You open up the pantry closet and see it sitting quietly in the corner. You try not to notice but there is that undeniable shape of a pantry moth. 

 The dreaded Indian Meal Worm.  Darn it!!!!!

I get it out and shut the closet, convincing myself there is probably only that one that came in with something I bought.  Who the heck do I think I am kidding? This is not my first time to the rodeo.  I have been down this path a few times before over the years and know it is never quite that simple, but my mind is not ready to accept it quite yet. The next morning I see three more. Ugh. Too busy to give it much thought, until that night when I see four more. Ok, time to pull out potential culprits. 

I move things around and rifle through. The open bags of rice, crackers and flour hit the trash can.  Ok, done.  Not…….

The next morning I open the closet to get my nuts and there they are looking right at me. Three more.  The nerve!  I finally start to come to grips with what I knew deep down from that very first sighting had to happen. There is no shortcut.  EVERYTHING must be taken out and inspected.  Anything at all questionable must go. Shelves wiped thoroughly and aired out. Not a small project. 

When is it a good time to have this happen? Never. With a sigh, I drop what I am doing, draw in a large inhale and take the leap.  Oh my….the things I found.  Old bags of coconut hiding beneath the tea.  Dates from god knows when.  A half-eaten bag of pistachios that caused me to leap back when I looked inside.  Boxes with expiration dates of 2014.  All pitched. Everything left is now out on the counter and I spray down the shelves and scrub.  Off come the chocolate stains, the crumbs and some red substance that I have no idea where it came from. Once dry I carefully place what is left onto the shelves and step back. 

What I see smiles back at me!  It gleams! This pantry has desperately needed this care for probably two years now but when was that going to find its way into my day?  Next week, I would think.  As soon as I have one of those free rainy afternoons. Soon.

The moth was an obstacle thrown in my path.  Something I hoped I could ignore but it wasn’t going to allow that. In the end it was actually a gift…….as most obstacles are. 

It’s not until the toilet breaks and needs replacing that you realize how run down the bathroom looks and you finally begin to move on the update you keep talking about. Or that irritating lower back pain ramps up enough one day to finally cause you to sign up for  that yoga class you have been considering for a year now.  The argument with a friend or spouse that exposes parts of the relationship you realize haven’t been nurtured recently. Or road work closes the route you always take and you discover a great new store you didn’t know about on another street.

An obstacle. Something placed in your path which requires a shift in direction. 

Now you can keep ramming your head against it, struggle to move it out of the way or turn around and go backward……all of which I tried first with the moth.  Or you can pause and listen for its message.  Find the gift it holds inside. Discover the new path.

See obstacles as opportunities.  See obstacles as inspiration. 

-          From ‘All the Light You Cannot See’

Thank you moth,
SARAH