A Wisdom Story about Divine Interruptions

Interruption.  The word itself makes us crinkle our noses!  Interruptions are SO annoying!  We get interrupted by a child's yelling at the mall.  By a rude driver as we cruise – late for an appointment.  By someone talking too loudly on their cellphone at the airport.   Just yesterday I was at Barnes & Noble and there was a young couple both on their cell phones.  The young man was playing music loud enough for both (and everyone else) to hear.   AARGH! 

What is an interruption?  Webster says to interrupt is an 'occasion when someone or something stops something from happening for a short period.' 

Yep, interruptions stop something from happening. We get sidetracked from our agenda.  Pulled from our reverie.  Our motion stops going forward at the same rate.   Off track and distracted.   BLECH!

Interruptions, though, are defined from a single reference point:  OURS! 

Pieces of the universe are in constant motion.  Other people's stories intertwine with ours.  But sometimes our stories collide!  And BOOM, we are interrupted! 

What would happen if we became more aware and open to and listen to other people's stories?   Maybe we'd no longer label these as Interruptions.   How would we feel if we consider Interruptions as Invitations?

The second line in my personal purpose statement is, "seeing the portals in the mist."  I often pray that I see the portals in the mist.  It doesn't mean that I need to take every portal I see.  I wouldn't get anything accomplished!  But if I'm aware of them, I make much more conscious choices.  Seeing portals in the mist has led me to an incredibly fruitful and storied life journey. 

If you think about it, we all have stories which began with a simple interruption.  While washing blankets at a laundry mat, I saw an advertisement for Tai Chi classes.  I ripped down one of those phone number tabs and called.  25 years later, Tai Chi and Eastern philosophy remain a main staple of my belief system!  One little tab of paper posted in that laundry room by an avid Tai Chi student, changed the course of my life!

Okay, so some interruptions are life-changing.  Got it.  But isn't our time precious?  Our agendas important?  Well, there's no need to accept every Invitation!   How do we discern the difference between an Invitation and a Distraction?  Wish I could tell you with certainty.  But I can say this with certainty -- as I am more aware of the 'portals in the mist', I get better at discerning which invitations to accept and which to decline. 

Unfortunately and all too often, declining an invitation is too easy to assess.  When you decline the invitation, you can continue on your known path.  BUT, you have NO IDEA what you missed!  

I believe some interruptions are placed in our path for a reason.  They encourage us to LEVEL UP our awareness of other people's stories.  And some interruptions are True Invitations – divinely placed to expand our world.  I call these Divine Interruptions.  Divinely shape our future.

So the next motorist you see on the side of the road, ask yourself, is this a divine interruption?  Is this an invitation to expand my story and intertwine my story with another human being?  To what end?    

Well, you need to go through that portal to find out!