Boots & Shoes in Snow & Ice (094) by Mumintrollet https://www.flickr.com/photos/mumintrollet/15741020051/
A heavy storm was predicted last Wednesday. All day in New York City, snowflakes filled the sky, but the temperature hovered around 34 degrees, turning the snow into slush.
Commitments are important to me, and I don’t want to be limited by weather conditions. There was a meeting scheduled in Manhattan that evening. During the day, I both looked at the website and waited for an email cancellation. Nothing appeared.
I was determined to attend. Five minutes before leaving for the train, I emailed the club president, asking him if the meeting was cancelled. I then checked the website, which still announced the gathering. I let the website message guide me. Not wanting to be late, I headed out for what would be a two-hour return trip. Later it became clear that five minutes after I emailed the club president, he responded saying there was NO MEETING. Of course, I had left already…on my way…not wanting to be late.
The slush was slippery and the wind ripped into my umbrella, turning it inside out multiple times. I closed the umbrella, as it had become a weapon against me. My hair got soaked. Arriving at the conference site, I was told it had been cancelled. Oh Vey…
I began the treacherous trip back to Brooklyn, having time to analyze my decision to head out in this inclement weather because I didn’t want to be late. I valued ‘not being late’ over my own comfort and safety. That makes no sense.
Had I waited 5 minutes I would have seen the president’s responding email, and would have been spared the 2-hour return trip in unhappy weather conditions. This is a valuable lesson for me. A respect for the quality of the moment and my safety are more important than lateness. We can’t always beat the clock. Lateness has it merits. Important for me, I’ve begun to integrate this perspective.
On Friday, a workman kept me longer than we anticipated, and so I texted my next appointment, saying I’d be late. This text was music to my ears. I am happy to realize my own progress in respecting myself…I also know that there’s a lot more work for me to do around this issue…
I’ll speak to you on March 26th
Peace and Light,
Linda
#snowstorm #commitments #cancellations #weatherconditions #ontime #lateness #slush #wind
