Expect The Unexpected

I was sitting in my chair this morning doing my meditation when the temple bell on my phone signaled it was time to leave home.  I gathered my things and headed out the door only to discover that my car was covered in ice.  I remembered that I had a miracle cure de-icer that I concocted several weeks ago with vinegar .  I sprayed it all over my windows.  I’m not sure how well it worked on the ice but I can tell you that I now have a really clean windshield.  The whole situation with the ice caught me off guard.  It wasn’t even freezing out outside and my weather app said nothing about ice.  I try to live my life expecting the unexpected but this morning I was caught off guard.  I did not expect a frozen car.  No matter how vigilant or prepared you think you are about life, sometimes you will be caught off guard.  When this happens to me I must try very hard not freak out.  I try to be calm and simply deal with whatever has happened.  I admit that I do sometimes freak out and occasionally I have a momentary panic attack.  Most of the time, however, I can deal with life’s little challenges in a calm manner.  I think the secret to being prepared for the unexpected is to be a centered person who generally has a calm demeanor and who responds to life rather than reacts to it.  Most of life’s little tests are little more than little tests.  On a rare occasional we have a real crisis but I have noticed that some people can’t tell the difference between a crisis and an inconvenience.  Expect the unexpected and you’ll never be caught off guard by anything.