It had been an incredibly long day, one which included two meetings, a late night at work and the funeral of a good friend along with other sundries and a growing to-do list. I felt as if I had paid my karmic dues to the universe for the week and was ready for a good night’s sleep and a fresh start in the morning. I stopped at the grocery store on my way home for a few quick items. I was less than a mile away from my home.
And then a deer charged in front of me.
Really universe? Really? We’re gonna throw a deer at me? A mile away from the end of my day?
The deer had its head down and was sprinting across the road. Thankfully, I was already going slow and slammed on the breaks. But I didn’t come to a complete stop in time and the deer kept running across, hitting the front end of my car , hopping up against my windshield and taking off into the night. As my car stopped, I screamed. (Wouldn’t you if a large quadruped was splayed against your windshield?) The heart-pounding shock lasted for a few minutes as I carefully completed the drive home. My car survived with a negligible small dent. The jolt of the car made my back a bit sore but I’ll take it.
As I relayed the story to a friend mine, she offered this thought: Take some moments to get centered. Your life is trying to get your attention about something. Ah yes. I bet if I think about the universe has been trying to get my attention for some time, but I’ve been ignoring it. So it threw a deer at me. I guess I better listen up because lord knows what may be next.
We like to call the weeks from Thanksgiving to New Year’s “that time of year.” It’s a phrase which can encompass plenty of things, but almost always implies hurrying, obligations and self-reflection. And as much as I try to practice what I preach, I’m only human and often get caught up in going too fast, in moving from to-do item to to-do item without the proper amount of thought and intention. (Yes, I need to go back and review this week’s video lesson from my inner athlete on slowing down.) I’m not sure if that’s the message of the deer, but it’s a good place for me to start. Something in my life needs attention. The best place I’ve found for me to look? The pool. There’s something about the sensory deprecation and the focus on my technique that puts my mind at rest and gives me a clear, fresh perspective on the day. I’ll be doing some 50 yard sprints today as my way of hitting the reset button. After all, I really don’t want to find out what the universe might throw at me next to get my attention.
How do you take time to refresh and hit your reset button when life throws a deer your way?
