Beauty in the breakdown

Two weeks ago, I got into my car to go grocery shopping, but when I turned the key, my car wouldn't start. My battery was dead. I hadn't been running my car enough and so my battery wasn't holding a charge. I called my insurance company and they sent out a person to jump it. If you've ever gotten your car jumped, you'll know that you typically have to drive your car for at least 20 minutes in order to charge your battery enough so that it'll start when you turn your car off and on again.

I was on my way to go grocery shopping and I had a million other things to do that day, so the thought of having to drive around for at least 20 minutes was not appealing. Not at all. It felt like such a waste of time. But I had to do it if I didn't want to have to call them again to jump my car in the grocery story parking lot.

So, off I went, past the grocery store, and I continued driving aimlessly, not having the least idea of where I was going in this new city. I wound up going north and decided to head for some hills instead of the highway. I found my way into a nice development and decided to turn around at the top of the highest hill since I'd been driving for at least 15 minutes. As I headed back down toward the city, I was greeted by this gorgeous view of the Bay Area. I stopped my grumbling immediately and was simply in awe of what I had stumbled upon. I had no idea that this view was behind me while I was complaining about traveling forward up into the hills. If my car battery hadn't died, I probably never would have found my way up into these hills to see this view.

In this case, it would have been nearly impossible for me to miss the silver lining of my situation. Often times, it's not as easy to see the positives when life doesn't seem to be going your way. It's easier to get mad or upset about being inconvenienced instead of finding the opportunities, the humor, the beauty in the chaos. But it's there. You just have to look for it and be willing to see it.