Life throws unexpected curve balls while most of us directionally challenged hitters bok while reacting. Personally I swing late, observing the pitch as foreign, unable to explain its strange, arching movement, and wondering why and how the curvature is possible. Several pitches later I start to recognize the true meaning behind the curve when my interpretation adds essence to its meaning. After years of practice, when a ball arcs in my direction, my response time has shortened; I am able to hit a single, after a couple of strikes.
Yesterday my morning started with an excruciating eye opener. Literally I opened one eye and sharp, grinding pain resulted. Though probably a long time coming from contact lense overuse, I still was surprised when it happened. My immediate thought, remove my contact lense (overnight wear) and see if the eye restored pain-free equilibrium as felt the night prior. Without any ease, I put on glasses, aware that my left eye’s vision was blurred, and attempted to distract myself with daily ritual activity, checking email, and writing a blog entry.
The first email catching my eye was from an acquaintance asking if I had sent a Google Doc, and if not, to change my passwords. Next, a private message on my screen showed another asking the same. My response to both was an emphatic “no” and my morning went into reacting to a computer virus that left my entire contact list vulnerable to the corruption. With years of added contacts, sending an immediate email to warn of the potential dangers to all contacts seemed the correct course of action. With the help of a technology-savvy spouse, his morning and mine were tumbled inside out, utilizing much time to rectify this matter. Passwords were deleted and rewritten, emails were sent at lightening speed, and my blog writing time was eliminated.
With painful, blurry vision and a computer virus, my day took a tumble, teetering out of control. Prior to the morning, a snow day had been called, and my kids were now stumbling out of bed, awaiting attention and breakfast preparation. Additionally snow shovel removal awaited at the end of the driveway by our mailbox to ensure the day’s delivery. Ruckus set in as the kids responded negatively wanting attention, my eye pain and blurred vision steadily continued, and my inbox began filling up with mail delivery rejections from all of my contact list that had become obsolete over the years. Over two hundred emails snapped back with a statement of non-delivery. My offspring adjusted eventually to the slow breakfast delivery, yet arguments ensued as each made their way to help with snow removal. Tears streamed from children’s eyes as the frigid temperatures and early morning mishaps gathered steam. None of it a pretty picture, but somehow manageable.
In time, I called the eye doctor and scheduled a “fit-you-in” appointment at noon, ignored my full email inbox, made myself a cup of tea, and told the children to steer clear of me as my top might blow off my head should anything else darken my day. I began to contemplate the blurred vision, the computer virus, the unscheduled snow days trapped inside, and the clarity I could not capture from an array of curve balls thrown my way. I sighed, imagining the metaphor of mishaps in my line of view.
Perhaps I was just being hit by pitches, reacting only upon direct impact. What did it mean to have blurred vision; would I heal and see again through a clear lense? Would I clear the virus or continue to subject others to my fate? My meal plan was set off on a tangent as the events unfolded as well, skewing my success for the day. Did I not just use the phrase on Facebook for another’s consoling, “The ability to succeed is the ability to adjust”? How resilient could I be in the face of adversity, unscheduled avenues, and the unexpected events thrown my way? I had not seen clearly until now.
By day’s end, I had a diagnosis of ‘abrasion’ to my left eye, and must wear glasses for a week until healed, or if worsened, a virus potentially could be the cause. The computer virus issue I may have fully addressed with a giant send-out to fellow contacts. Mail was delivered by the postal service, my food plan eased back into balance, and I sat aware of a successful comeback after a day of alterations to the ‘norm.’
Our reaction to the curve balls decides our fate. Should we choose to acquiesce to their aim of striking us out, our vision will remain blurred, out of focus, and deteriorating like an out of control virus, spreading like a contagion let loose into the wild. Instead the downward spiral slowed long enough to hit the ball, allowing me to run freely and access some clarity.
When life throws you a curve, examining the pitch long enough to take aim for a clear reaction is crucial. Today served me well to practice positive response, resilience and recovery. No one travels through life unscathed by the curves that derail each of us from our center. Equilibrium is achieved by reframing the situation, as to recognize it’s valuable lesson internally taught. Learning to achieve resiliency is one’s best bet against the mighty curve ball.