Congratulations – It’s a Mouse!

“We turn poison into medicine and our sorrows into blessings” – Rumi One of my clients had the most fascinating experience recently involving the appearance of a mouse in her apartment. In and of itself, it’s an amazing experience. As an example of the potential for something wonderful to come from something “bad,” it’s truly inspiring. This concept is variously referred to as turning poison into medicine, every cloud has a silver lining, a blessing in disguise, etc. This is the idea that even the most unwelcome situation can – and often does – bring the greatest gift. Five or six years ago I started responding to “negative” situations with the thought, “I wonder what wonderful thing will come of this?” Responding this way has been enormously helpful to me. Take as one example, last Christmas Eve when a large black truck ran into my small red Honda in a grocery store parking lot. I am proud to say that, within a very few minutes, I was able to ask that question. Desiring and believing that something wonderful could come of that “accident,” I soon found myself trading in that banged up Honda for a shiny new Lexus! Thank you to the driver of that big black truck. ;-] The magic behind wondering what positive outcome will result from a negative experience is the understanding that you have the power to attract either positive or negative circumstances from any situation. In fact, focusing on the blessing in disguise actually brings the blessing. It actually calls forth the positive out of the realm of pure potential. You always have the option. You can choose to think “if it wasn’t for bad luck, I wouldn’t have no luck at all” as the blues song goes. Or you can choose to think “I’m lucky. I’m always so lucky.” Which response do you imagine will bring the better result? There are myriad examples of this phenomenon. Certainly something like one of these scenarios has happened to you or someone you know: * An illness brings a new appreciation for life and a re-ordering of priorities and turns out to be the best thing that ever happened to them. * A job loss provides the impetus to start the business they always wanted and they become happier and more fulfilled than they ever were in that old job. * A rift with a friend or family member inspires the first truly open communication in years and results in a vastly improved relationship. If we can accept that “nothing has gone wrong here,” as Abraham says, and then set about looking for what’s right, we are using our infinite power to create something even better than we had before the unwanted thing happened. OK, back to my client and her mouse. When an obviously unwanted mouse took up residence in her New York City apartment, she was freaked out big time. We talked about what the mouse might represent and I suggested she visualize and imagine and feel herself living mouse-free once again. After she released resistance and softened the “freak-out” with these processes, she received the inspiration to get a cat. Now the story gets juicy. While shopping for a cat in an upscale Manhattan pet store, the owner decides my client would be perfect for a part in his friend’s upcoming movie. The friend turns out to be a Hollywood director. And, within 24 hours, my client is receiving text messages from Kathryn Bigelow – the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Director. As of this writing, it’s too early to know if she gets the part and becomes an A-list movie star, but come on . . . this is a cool story! Without the mouse, she’s not inspired to get a cat. Without the cat, there’s no pet store and no Hollywood director. Now, when something “unwanted” appears in her life, she knows it’s another “mouse” and starts wondering how the Universe will surprise and delight her this time. And so it is with you too. If you can accept what-is and start expecting something wonderful to come of it, poison will invariably turn into medicine, silver linings will appear out of the darkest clouds, and blessings will drop their disguises one by one.