Emergency!

A friendly face peering at me through Barbecue Smoke

Emergency!

Even though it was dark outside, because it was well past sundown, I could see heavy smoke filtering through the lights of my front porch.  It was a little unusual for my barbecue smoker to be putting off that much smoke, even when cooking grass-fed-organic hamburgers in the cold evening.  So, I decided to go outside and check to make sure everything was alright.

I walked to the door, touched the garage door opener, and made my way forward as the overhead door began to lift.  As soon as it got about half way up I saw a recognizable friendly face looking back at me.  It was my friend Eddie Dalton!  He was bending over at the waist, smiling when he said, “Lynn!  I was driving by and saw all of the smoke and said, ‘Lynn’s house is on fire!’  Now I see you’re barbequing hamburgers!”

I replied, “Thanks so much for stopping to check!”

“I hope you love them!”  Eddie said, smiling. Then, he wished me a good evening and sort of happily bounced across my front lawn to resume his drive toward his destination.

Eddie’s genuine goodness and caring brightened the rest of my night!  And, his actions enhanced my family dinner conversation.  He also provided a perfect distinction to teach about and reveal additional insight regarding my almost week-long reflection about coping with life’s perceived emergencies.

Earlier in the week I received an urgent message.  Because it was sent with clear distress I responded to it immediately.  You know how it can be?  As I conversed over the issue, I could just feel the stress pulsing off the other person.  She was clearly suffering!  So, I offered some solutions and gave whatever assistance I could.  Luckily, she followed some of my advice to check with a mutual friend to get expert advice.  The expert quickly allayed all of her fears!

Then, she additionally commented, “I’m sure the business managers think I’m insane.  But I’ll talk with them and smooth it over.”

That gave me a chance to offer a little perspective by saying, “You can relax now.  As you see, it wasn’t an emergency.”

“It feels like an emergency because I don’t understand what’s going on!”  She replied.

Then said I, “Just because you don’t understand, doesn’t mean it’s an emergency.  Don’t let trivia ruin your whole life!”

“I suppose you’re right.”

“You’ll find that if you relax about things, the quality of your life will increase tremendously.”  I said as we parted.

Of course, I then thought of the many times I’ve worried needlessly about seemingly huge things, believing an emergency existed, when there was none!

“Just because I see smoke doesn’t mean my whole house is on fire.”  I said to myself as I reflected on this conversation.  Eddie’s providential visit helped me more than I originally assumed.  It guided me toward finality to one of my week’s deepest ponderings.

First, he saw smoke and worried about the welfare of others.  Then, rather than driving on and telling as many people as he could that my house had burned down, he stopped to offer caring assistance.

Second, he investigated, with the best of intentions, to confirm whether or not a real emergency existed.

Third, his mind was put at ease when he confirmed that an emergency was not actually occurring.

Finally, his caring deepened our relationship as well as my admiration for him!

Even though it was dark outside, because it was well past sundown, Eddie and I could see heavy smoke filtering through the lights of my front porch.  It was a little unusual for my barbecue smoker to be putting off that much smoke, and Eddie had no way of knowing that I was cooking hamburgers in the cold evening.  So, he decided to stop and check to make sure that my house was not burning!

Serendipitously, I walked to the door, touched the garage door opener, and made my way forward as the overhead door began to lift.  As soon as it got about half way up I saw a recognizable, friendly, relieved face grinning back at me.  It was my friend Eddie!  He was bending over at the waist, smiling when he said, “Lynn!  I was driving by and saw all of the smoke and said, ‘Lynn’s house is on fire!’  Now I see you’re barbequing hamburgers!”

Eddie Dalton showed me that just because you and I see a little smoke, at times, in our lives, it doesn’t mean that our whole house is burning down!  Because, some smoke comes from a barbecue, where delicious food for the body and soul is being made.