This week I had the opportunity to practice what I teach about keeping your thoughts behaving for you and staying in a high vibration. Travel back in time with me…
Last April I had a miscarriage that became a hemorrhage and I was taken via ambulance to the hospital. Naturally, there was some trauma associated with those events that kept coming around in the form of bills: the ER doctors, emergency room charges…but no ambulance bill. I had no desire to stay in the energy of that moment, and I knew if we got set up on a payment plan I’d be propelled back to that moment every month for two years. So we reached into our savings and paid it all off in one fell swoop. Except the ambulatory service. I kept waiting for the bill, even tried calling around to figure out which company picked me up, but it led nowhere. After six or eight months, I actually forgot about it.
Until a few days ago when we got a piece of mail from our city’s fire department. Were they asking for a donation? I couldn’t figure out what they’d be mailing us for, until I opened it up and studied the bill. $962.25. And since we’re in a new calendar year, of course it wouldn’t apply to last year’s deductible, even though it happened 10 1/2 MONTHS ago. 10 1/2 months, people! And so, because the insurance waited so long to process the claim, I get to pay the entire balance due with no discounts or anything.
Did I relapse? You bet I did. For the hour or more than I spent dealing with the incompetent insurance company and sympathetic but unyielding fire department, I felt very frustrated and angry. But in the midst of my relapse I realized I didn’t want this to affect the rest of my day. So I asked my husband to help get me balanced and back on track. And, great guy that he is, he reminded me of all the blessings in that situation: the EMTs did a great job and deserved to be paid, it’s just a number (that’s one of our favorite sayings now), we have the money to take care of it without a problem, and if the bill had come 4 months ago, we wouldn’t have been set up to take care of it. Plus, we can use our Costco Amex card and get cash back from it!
I cleared some grief and sadness that this exposed, and within 30 minutes felt much better. I paid the bill so I wouldn’t live in the energy of resentment, and now everything is finally settled from that experience.
My point? Default to gratitude. It will save you on so many levels. And don’t do it alone. I couldn’t get out of that energy by myself–I had tried. I needed someone to remind me of the blessings in the situation. Find an “exit buddy” like in Finding Nemo. They’ll help you get through the ride!
Awesome Allyson!
I love the idea of having an Exit Buddy 🙂
What an excellent example of putting principles to work. Thank you for sharing from your heart and being so honest.
Powerful story. You can turn highly upsetting situations that you have no control over by just counting your blessings. Thanks for sharing.
I like what you’re saying about defaulting to gratitude. Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that we should be grateful for what we have, instead of what we don’t have.
Wow! What a great money story, but a sad baby story (I had a miscarriage too, and reading that along with your anguish reminded me of mine). What a great re-frame by your husband. The timing may seem off to you, but in many ways and at many levels, you probably were in the best place to handle it now, not earlier, not later.
You’re stories are so relatable. You’re a great teacher. Wisdom in every post. <3
Wonderful Story Allyson! So proud of you for changing your vibes about it. OXOX
So sorry to hear about what you went through, Allyson. I can completely understand why that bill would have brought up some bad feelings, but WAY TO GO on turning a negative into a positive!! Love your story!!
I got home from work yesterday afenotorn and mowed the lawn and blew leaves before the rain came today. After I mowed my lawn, I went next door to my neighbors house and mowed his lawn and blew the leaves off his property. I slipped a pay it forward card under his door mat when I was finished. He came over and thanked me for what I’d done, and also asked me about pay it forward. I often do things for other people, but yesterday it felt a little different because it gave me the opportunity to tell him about paying it forward; also in hopes that it would have a chain reaction and many lives would be effected by such a positive and simple notion of paying it forward .
My wife and I have been very blessed in our lives. We have also lived thurogh very tight times ( I. E., blood donations.) We have always felt the love if others. Many times, we picked up the bill for another at a resturant. Other times we paid for another’s groceries. Another time we put together a baby shower for a lady we never met who left an abusive home. Instead of money, we gave a man in the rain a sleeping bag, a coat, and accessories along with a gift card for a meal at Denny’s. When my wife ad I ran into financial issues, we were blessed by people who remained anonymous with a $500 gift card twice. We always asked why. We had a very hard time accepting. Why us? LovePay it forward It will come back when needed