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Shifting Focus

By Julie Caldwell, MA, Angel Therapist®
July 2008

A few weeks ago I was in the San Francisco airport waiting to board a flight to Denver. If we landed on time, I'd have 50 minutes to make my next connection to Birmingham. I was on my way to Alabama and Georgia to spend a week with my father (who almost passed away earlier this year), several days with my granny (she's 93!), a week with my mom for a mother/daughter trip to the Gulf Coast, and finally finishing with several days in Birmingham where my brother, extended family and friends from grad school live. With the time change, I would arrive in Birmingham at 11:59pm, way past my usual bedtime. My brother was scheduled to pick me up at the airport. I would spend the night at his house, and the next morning we'd drive to Atlanta to my Dad's house for Father's Day weekend. We had plans for an early dinner with my Dad and the evening performance of Mama Mia! at the fabulous Fox Theatre.

Ten minutes before boarding for Denver, the loudspeaker announced that my flight would be delayed by several hours due to mechanical problems. Oh no! I would miss my connection! Disappointed, but still hopeful, I made my way to the United customer service counter - not the happiest place in the airport. I waited my turn, amusing myself with airport observations. After 30 minutes or so, the shout of ''Next Person In Line'' meant me, so I put on my friendliest smile and made my way to the seriously un-smiling agent. He took my itinerary, tickety-tapped for what seemed like ages on his computer keyboard, and announced, ''Sorry, Ms. Caldwell, there's no way we get you to Birmingham today. You'll have to take the 6am flight tomorrow morning, and we'll have you in Birmingham by late tomorrow afternoon.'' Great.

''Is there any way,'' I asked hopefully, already knowing the answer, ''that I can get my luggage and recheck it tomorrow?'' To avoid paying extra luggage fees, I filled my carry-ons with heavy, awkward items like tennis shoes, hiking boots, binoculars, diving mask, gadget chargers, books, IPod, sunglasses, cell phone and underwater camera case. My allowable zip-lock bag of liquids had such valuable items as lip moisturizer, a vial of Airborn, a vibrational mist for traveling, hand sanitizer and assorted herbal tinctures. I had nothing of any practical value for being stranded overnight without my luggage - no contact solution, no glasses, no clothes, no toothbrush. ''Sorry, ma'am. That would be a security breach. I can give you a complimentary overnight kit and United will give you a voucher for your hotel room tonight.'' He handed over a tiny zippered pouch and a voucher for the Best Western.

I made my way outside to the waiting area where all the hotel shuttle buses stopped, and settled in for my ''15-minute'' wait for the Best Western shuttle. To pass the time, I opened the zippered pouch to see what United thought I needed to survive overnight. I discovered teeny-tiny containers of toothpaste, deodorant, shampoo, body wash, lotion and perfume, with a teeny tiny toothbrush, and a teeny-tiny comb. Things were looking up.

I checked into my hotel room, put my new tiny hygiene products beside the sink, and made a 4:30am(!) shuttle reservation to get me to the airport for my 6:00am flight the following morning. If all went as scheduled, my brother and I would have just enough time to drive from Birmingham to Atlanta and have a quick dinner with Dad before Mama Mia. I thanked my Angels for helping me stay calm and centered throughout my unexpected day, and for helping me to remember that somehow this would all be for the best.

In the past, I might have been angry and depressed about my delay. I would have perhaps wondered if this was a sign that my entire trip was doomed. What had I done to deserve this bad thing; etc., etc., etc. Now, my response was curiosity and trust - I knew somehow that this turn of events was in my best interest, even if I didn't know exactly why.

This movement from angry/depressed to curious trust is the simple process of shifting focus. One of the many beautiful truths I've learned from working with the Angels is that things always work in harmony with our best interest ~ the trick is to set our intention to experience our life from this focal point. The Angels will immediately help us, if asked, to move into alignment with the divine perfection found within all there is.

Imagine that the truth of divine order in all things is like the lens of a camera. But, to see the picture, you've still got to focus your subject through the lens - right? Take a moment and allow this visual to settle in. Now, add to this image an array of filters that go over the lens. These filters are exactly like the colors in the light spectrum, or like the notes in a musical scale - one is not better than the other; they're all just different parts of the whole that allow you to experience different aspects of the same picture. In my airport example, filters available to me included anger, victimization, helplessness, frustration, amusement, hopefulness, and trust in divine perfection, to name but a few. I couldn't change the external events happening, but by switching filters and adjusting the focus, I could change my personal experience/understanding of what was happening. For me, amused trust in the divine order of things felt way better than being angry and out-of-sorts.

With my ''it's all in my best interest'' filter in place, I realized that my free hotel room was actually quite lovely and comfortable. I'd been so busy trying to get things done before I left, I felt like I'd hardly had time to breathe. The previous weeks had been back-to-back clients, meetings about my new web site, writing projects, planning new expansions for my herbal business, gardening and house chores - I realized I was exhausted. I couldn't remember the last time that I was alone in a hotel room when it was non-work related. I didn't have my computer, so there were no emails to write, no phone calls to return, no one asking for anything - just me alone with me. It felt wonderful, and I was very grateful for this unexpected gift of time.

Looking around my room, I spied the room service menu. My wonderful feeling bumped up a few more notches - I love room service! I ordered exactly what I wanted for dinner, opened my brand new novel I was eager to read, settled back on big fluffy pillows and savored my gift. I had a deep, restful sleep; the shuttle was right on time; my bags were checked and I already had my boarding passes so moving through the travel hoops to my departure gate was a breeze. I made all my connections and arrived safely in Birmingham, with all my luggage (!), just a few minutes later than expected. My brother and I had an enjoyable, easy drive to my Dads; we all had a delicious dinner, and Mama Mia! was delightful and great fun. In fact, my entire trip was the most satisfying, quality time I've spent with my family since moving to California 15 years ago.

Though this is a somewhat lite example, no matter what's happening in your life or how serious it seems at times, you can ask the Angels to help you see the divinity of the situation. They can help you understand how the events you find yourself in are perfect for you so that your life experiences become filled with joyful trust. Simply think to yourself, or say aloud, ''Angels, please help me!'' and their energy is immediately present. Ask your Angels to help you remember to affirm every day that the events in your life are working in your best interest. Set your intention to be tuned in to the divinity that flows through everything. See that divinity while you're driving your car, waiting in check-out lines, doing your laundry, brushing your teeth, or facing more difficult tasks.

With a simple shift of focus, you can change how you experience your life and understand more fully what it means to live your bliss.