When Something Goes Missing From Your Life

When something goes missing, do you lose your cool or move to Plan B?

Saturday morning, I woke to find myself unable to access my email account. Any of you who actively use your email for professional and personal reasons might identify with what I might have felt at that moment. And when a friend called to say she sent an email and was notified the account was disabled or discontinued... It appeared to have been squirted out of the universe like a watermelon seed.

I could have chosen a variety of reactions. What I did was submit a help ticket, then put my brain in gear. It was time for Plan B. I had created a second email account a few weeks ago, then never used it. I used it and got quite a lot done, including with some help from some friends. What this event brought to mind was how much was attached to that "lost" account, including old energy. When I woke Sunday morning, it was with a very positive attitude, as though I'd been given a clean slate to work on or a fresh canvas ready for my brush strokes. Mid-afternoon, I received an email that the problem with the primary email account was resolved and an apology for any inconvenience. I didn't say, "After all that effort!" I simply smiled.

Looking at this event with a different perspective, I see that I didn't let it stop me. Sure, it made me stammer a bit, but I didn't give up. It caused me to change my business email to the second email address which was actually a better idea. I saw how what was really important to me was recoverable. I saw how letting go and "keep on going" helped me feel more of how I preferred to feel. It didn't ruin my day.

On Monday, I began to get used to moving back and forth between both accounts, and did a good deal of business on the new one. Mid-afternoon, I was shut out of the new account. I managed to get another help ticket submitted, but it pretty much halted my business. Tuesday, the situation was still in "resolution" mode, so I decided to spend my day doing other things until I knew what to do next. A couple of times, I just started laughing out loud because it was too ridiculous.

How we feel when something goes missing from our lives has all to do with what it is. A death or other significant change elicits feelings and reactions and responses of a different magnitude than a missing email account. But these types of events aren't the ones we encounter most often.

We can choose to react or respond, and the degree to which we do so. When we engage in negative feelings, we become like a prickly cactus and nothing can come near us, and we expand feeling badly. When we choose to feel even a little better, better things can move to us to expand that feeling. Both scenarios are simply the Law of Attraction. Gravity works on Earth whether you believe it does or not.

Often, the ultimate thing that goes missing from our lives is our willingness to choose how we prefer to feel in relation to what happens in our lives on a day-to-day basis. It's a closed-palm vs. open-palm kind of situation. If you intend to drink from the infinite waters of well-being, a slightly cupped palm works better than a clinched fist.