Had a weird event this past week. I had a tiring week at the hospital being on call and it was very busy indeed taking care of the sick. I was on my last day of the tour of duty and I parked my car in the lot, and got down. I took stock of the fresh air, the nourishing sunlight and thought to myself I would not wear my snow shoes that I had been wearing each day this winter to work as it appeared the ice had melted. I let go of my heavy winter coat stuffed with gloves, scarf and beanie, and left it in the car. Grabbed my phone, lunch bag and with a big smile I started off towards the hospital entrance.

I was lightly lost in thought when suddenly I slipped on some unforeseen piece of ice and then WHOOSH… my right leg went flying to almost chest height, my bag and phone took their own trajectories. And I landed hard on my back, luckily sparing the back of my head. BOOM and THUD. I felt my soul come out of my body for a fraction of second and then get sucked back in. I felt Newtons laws of motion the first, second and third all at the same time. I lost my battle with gravity and came down like a wrestler’s opponent in a body slam.

With feet up in the air, I briefly felt like a dead bug. But I was alive, conscious, so I was grateful. Even more so as I slowly stood up, grateful that no one else saw me and I had not broken any bones. I picked up my accessories and walked slower and definitely with more caution on my initial path. In this moment I knew exactly what a chocolate pancake would feel like as it is flipped on the pan.

Now here is where the metaphysician steps into the picture. Every experience in some way has a mind body connection to the universe. So what was the universe trying to teach me. SLOW DOWN. I am always in a hurry to my various destinations, be they evening kid activities, chores, going to work, exercise etc etc. SLOW DOWN said the universe. BE STILL. “FEEL the moment of NOW. “ It seemed to say.

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. So why did I fall? One could say it was the ice and I was not looking where I was going etc. Sure. But there is more. While I walked to the entrance, I went back in my mind to the very instant that I fell. I was being pushed DOWN. If that was the physical, what was the mental state of mind. I noted I had been feeling quite prideful. I was mentally UP. I was elated and infatuated that I had survived this grueling week, I did not have to wear my big coat, and I could wear comfortable light weighted shoes again. I was in a state of pride. BOOM. I was humbled by the universe as I lay flat on my back.

I remembered I felt “shameful” after my fall. Pride and shame. Balanced out. I began to see the “wisdom” in the synchronicity of the events. When we get into pride or infatuation we are humbled. When we are too shameful or resentful we are lifted, to the point of balance for a greater level of appreciation of the mysteries of the universe and how we interact with it.

When we see and feel the wisdom, we enter the gratitude and glimpse love for all things and everyone.

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I love you