A Moment of Grace

Yesterday I had a massage "no-show", which is a client who simply doesn't show up. This almost never happens to me. After 12 years in practice, the majority of my clients are trusted regulars with fixed days each month. I also have a firm cancellation/no show policy that I enforce.

After a ten-minute wait, I remembered that my client was on vacation this month and I had forgotten to take her out of the June schedule. My next appointment was in four hours which meant I had some accidental downtime.

My mind jumped to all the things I could and should do with the lull: errands, phone calls, emails to answer, dishes, laundry. I could even do art or write a new blog post.

But I was feeling drained. I had pushed myself pretty hard on Tuesday creating the diffusion post. With all the writing, taking pictures then rearranging everything to fit the format (Blogger is a bear when it comes to combining pictures with text) I had spent way too much time with my eyes glued to the computer screen. The pull of the couch for a catnap was too strong to ignore.

So down I went. I slept for a good hour, and when I got up my mind felt clear and my body was rested, ready to go again. I decided to get out and away from house, phone, computer and studio.

We had no milk in the fridge, so I drove to a charming country grocery store run by Mennonites. I rarely shop there, just when I need one or two items.

The clerk at the register nearly floored me when she said, "Aren't you the lady that bought all the fairies for your garden?" About two months earlier I had gone in for milk (they must have magic milk) and noticed fairies on display that were marked down because they were a discontinued item. It was quite a find because they were perfect for my garden, and I bought one of each that day.

She told me that the owner of the store had found one we missed and put it aside in the event that I should return. I was touched, to say the least. This is one aspect of country living that I adore. She assured me there was no pressure to buy it but the sprite was mine if I liked her. And I liked her very much. The fairy was in repose and the synchronicity of my just having woken up from a good nap did not escape me.

It was then I was struck with a moment of grace. That's what I call it when I have a sudden awareness that everything that's happening in that moment, and everything that led up to it, is unfolding at exactly the right time and in the right order. A moment of grace fills me with a deep sense of gratitude and all-is-right-with-the world feeling. I know that I was only able to have this kind of awareness because I had given myself permission to rest and recharge which enabled me to fully experience the grace in that moment. In a tired state I might have just said thank you, paid for my items and rushed off.

As I mentioned earlier, I've never bought my fairies with the intention of keeping them inside. But I knew that this gal needed to stay in my massage room.

She will now be my visual reminder of this message:

Recognize the wisdom in knowing when to rest. Of doing nothing. Knowing when you've had enough and need to recharge. You don't always have to be doing something. When you give yourself permission to rest, you are more available for those delicious moments of grace.


Have you ever had a moment of grace?