Have to or Get to???

The last several weeks have been really crazy – awesome and amazing but crazy.  One of those “how much more can I cram into my super-busy life” kind of weeks?  Yeah we’ve all had them. Between work and time with friends this past day or two, I’ve actually managed to sneak in laundry and other chores.  Now, with the end of the day drawing near, I find myself trying to finish one last thing before I call it quits and enjoy my (well-deserved) glass of wine.  As I’m folding the baskets of now-clean laundry, it suddenly occurs to me – I get to fold and put away clean laundry.  Have you ever stopped and reflected on the gift of clean laundry?  It probably escapes us that over half the world has only one change of clothes and hardly ever gets to do laundry.  The fact that I have three baskets of nice, clean, laundered clothes is an incredible blessing.
 
Tomorrow morning, before my husband wakes, I’ll tromp off to the grocery store to restock supplies for the upcoming weeks.  I get to go into an air conditioned, clean building to select from a wide-variety of products from which I and my family will eat plentiful this next week.  The only limitation on my purchase will be my personal tastes and preferences.  Have you ever stopped and reflected on the gift of a grocery store and our ability to just shop at will?  Another incredible blessing in our lives.
 
I guess what I am getting at is what can happen from a subtle shift in perspective; how the slightest movement transforms our lives from chores, to-do’s and have-to’s into gifts, get-to’s and opportunities.  Life is hard and full of challenges, or suffering as the Buddha would label it.  Sometimes, our perceptions perpetuate our discomfort, prolonging the very suffering we wish to be freed from.  The good news is that we can learn to see differently, see life as it really is, free from all our projections and distortions and thereby attain true peace.  Sometimes we need help in making that shift in perspective.  At A Place To Be Spirituality Center, someone is always on hand to listen.  Perhaps a kind listener is all you need to shift your view of your world.   Stop in anytime – we are here to welcome you.