Life is like a broken refrigerator............

My refrigerator died on Thursday. Now, in and of itself, that's not such a tragedy except that it's the beginning of the month, mortgage is due, bills to be paid and who needs another big expense, right? Oh well. I threw out all the spoiled food and got myself a couple of coolers, lots of ice (which pretty much melted as I tried to bring it home in the car in 112 degree Arizona heat!), and set up shop in a remote corner of the kitchen until the new refrigerator could be delivered today.

What has amazed me over the last few days was how many times I opened that refrigerator door to get something to eat or at least to see what I wanted to eat. (Believe me, Ben & Jerry were calling me but I had no freezer to put them in!) Now, I knew the refrigerator was broken. I knew there was no food in it. I knew the food was in the cooler on the other side of the kitchen. But I kept going back to what was familiar even though I knew I couldn't get what I wanted! Hmmmm......

I started thinking what a great metaphor this was for life. How many times have we all done the same thing? We keep doing what hasn't worked in our lives, over and over, hoping for a different and more satisfying result. We keep trying to get what we want from places, people and things that can't provide us with what we want and need. But we do it anyway. It's a habit. Sometimes it's unconscious. Sometimes we see that we're doing it but we can't seem to stop. There is something so comfortable and so safe about not having to change. But at what price?

Back to my refrigerator story. The price of my consistently going back to an empty refrigerator was "no food"....no satisfying a basic need. As the old song says, "Looking for love in all the wrong places". I had to actually, at least for a few days, train myself to go to the part of the kitchen where I could get my needs met. I had to take a different route, to an unfamiliar place, to get what I wanted.I know it seems like such a silly and simple story, but it was a very impactful metaphor for me.

So, the delivery man came and took away my old refrigerator. As he loaded it on the truck and I cleaned up the ugly mess that we all hate to deal with under refrigerators (ugh), I strangely felt a little nostalgic. Kind of like my "old ways" were going out the front door. I wondered if I had the courage to create some new ways of being and maybe create a new and more positive metaphor with my new refrigerator. What things could I put in it that would truly support my well-being? Could I emerge enough from being on auto-pilot and take a different, more thoughtful road? Perhaps put more fresh foods and less processed foods (now that's a novel thought)? I doubt that I will do it perfectly, but at least I've been "nudged" to wake up. I see some new possibilities. It is an opportunity to move closer to my goal of better health and I am going to take advantage of it.

So, my new refrigerator is all set up and has already begun to make ice! Hooray! It actually doesn't look much different than my old one but, in it's own little way, it has had a real impact on my life.

Well, off to Safeway!