sinking car

June 20th, 2016

Every year in this country four hundred people drown when their cars go into water. This weekend I watched a video about surviving such a frightening event and watching it I was reminded about something very important about living. 

All the experts agree that once a car hits the water you have less then a minute, sixty seconds, to save your life. All 911 operators are instructed to tell a person in such a situation to “Get out as quickly as you can!”

Sometimes in life, we are going through our daily activities  and suddenly we hit the dark, murky waters of depression or worthlessness. Maybe someone says something to trigger it. Maybe a random thought starts germinating inside our mind. Problems, darkness, anger, anxiety suddenly wash over us and what do we do?

Usually we can feel what’s coming and we hopelessly brace ourselves for the onslaught of bad feelings and fears. We pray that we will be able to hold on and down we go.

What if we used the survival instructions of being in a sinking car? What if instead of bracing ourselves, we used every ounce of our strength to get out quickly?

An amazing, wonderful Buddhist nun, Sister Palma, many years ago taught me one of the most valuable lessons of my life. She said “Thoughts are real, living things. When a dark thought comes to you, immediately say ‘Go in Peace, Thank You’. Say it every single time that thought surfaces and do it immediately. You may have to say it dozens of times but never fail to do it and the thought will wither and blow away.” 

The lessons for today are don’t stay in a car that is going down and don’t hold on to a thought that is dragging you down. 

 

Patrick McBride’s Sundrops On Life 

(c)2016 All Rights Reserved, Patrick McBride 
 www.PatrickInspires.com

 
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