A Red Kettle Day

Several weeks ago we were having dinner at a friend’s house.  The food was great and the conversation even better.  An energizing and uplifting evening all around.

After the dishes were cleared away we watched Jim search for the kettle so he could start the tea.  He hunted through every cupboard, some even twice, but no kettle to found.  Beth returned to the kitchen and was immediately greeted by a sheepish looking Jim with “Honey, where’s the kettle?”;  Beth walked over to the corner cupboard where Jim had just looked and pulled out a green kettle.  “Oh!” Jim exclaimed, “I thought the kettle was red!”

I was stunned for a moment by the significance of this small incident that happens to us every day.  Have you ever been shopping with someone, split up to look at different things and then can’t find them again because they weren’t wearing what you thought?  How about the piece of paper, book, brush or jar of mustard in the fridge you can’t find because it’s not where you thought it should be?  How frustrated to you feel when you walk into a store you’ve shopped at for years and they changed the layout of the entire store!?

These and thousands of other examples remind me of how powerful the mind is.  Not only does my mind process what I see, my mind can also stop me from seeing what is really in front of me.  The key is remembering to step back and observe what is truly happening.  Whether I am having the worst day ever or the most wonderful, I have to ask myself “Is this a red kettle day?”