“When each day is the same as the next, it’s because people fail to recognize the good things that happen in their lives every day that the sun rises.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
The other day I was cleaning my sink and noticed there was a tiny bug inside. This bug was suctioned to the sink because of the water. A few thoughts crossed my mind, 1) I could ignore the bug there, 2) I could kill it so it would be a less painful death or 3) I could try and save it. Of course I couldn’t bring myself to kill it so I decided to do everything I could to get this poor bug to freedom.
But it was stuck to the sink; It wasn’t that simple I didn’t want to accidently squish it. I decided I would take a piece of paper to carefully scrape the bug off the sink without hurting it. So, I got my paper and tried to set the bug free who was resisting my attempts to help it.
I thought to myself, if only this bug knew I was trying to help them. If only it could understand English and I could tell them that I’m trying to help them. But this bug didn’t know that. It didn’t speak English. Who knew if it even knew what I was. This bug only knew life from its perspective and probably doesn’t know a thing about the rest of the world going on. The life I see and perceive is an unknown dimension to this bug.
That’s when it hit me.
So many times in life we are that bug. When life doesn’t go how we want it to we resist. We don’t know why it is happening to us, just like how the bug didn’t know that I was trying to save it. In fact, the bug likely thought that I was trying to hurt it.
If only we could see or understand the invisible hand that is guiding us. It dawned on me that there could be a whole other universe out there, perhaps a higher god, or power, whatever you may believe, that is beyond our consciousness and I may not have the ability to see or understand it the same way that the bug can’t either. But that doesn’t mean that it’s trying to hurt me. In fact, the universe is likely conspiring to help me. Just like I finally got the bug on the paper and set it free, we too have the same opportunities and don’t even know it.
I challenge you to look for the positives in every situation and try to find the wisdom that is presented to you every day in life. I could have just saved this bug and walked away from it but instead I choose to allow the situation to teach me something new.
“No matter what he does, every person on earth plays a central role in the history of the world. And normally he doesn’t know it.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist
