Dear all,
On my way home last week, I filled my car up with gas. I stopped for coffee. I also took a slightly out of the way route.
And then it happened…. As I was driving, another car opened its door into mine, damaging the passenger side mirror.
No one was hurt, but the incident was enough to send my car to the shop.
Going though my mind was:
If only I hadn’t stopped for gas …
If only I hadn’t gotten coffee ….
If only I hadn’t taken the scenic route …
… then I would have passed that area without any incident. My timing was just off.
We’ve all been there, questioning every past moment. The truth is, we can’t turn back the clock.
But we can control how we deal with the present.
Will I be level-headed in talking with the other driver?
Will I treat the person in the car shop kindly?
Will the frustration of the incident color how I enter my home?
We can’t live in a world of “If only I hadn’t….” It’s a collision course. Rather, our lives should be about, “What opportunity will there be if I …”
And harnessing the difference between these two takes a moment in time.
With love and Shalom,
Rabbi Zach Shapiro
