Pay Attention!

The Library

Brrr, the weather was really cold! The public library would make a perfect outing:

1. We needed to return our books and replace them with a new stash.

2. I wanted to vote during early voting, and the library is an early voting site.

3. Best of all, the library was an indoor activity for my little one. There is now a whole section of toys for toddlers to play with in the children’s section.

We headed out into the chilly morning, and soon arrived at the library. The parking lot was busier than I ever remembered seeing it. We got out of the car, loaded the books underneath the stroller, and walked to the library entrance. Hmmm, the library didn’t open on Tuesdays until 1:00 PM, and it was only 10:15 AM now.

What were all the cars and people doing here if the library wasn’t even open yet?

The library was closed, but early voting was open! Hooray! We were able to vote, and even drop our books through the outdoor book slot.

Next, we headed down San Jose Boulevard to the South Mandarin Library. This library was open, and the parking lot here was even busier than at the first library! As we walked in, we had to pass through a double line of people waiting to vote just to get into the actual library. (I was very glad to have voted already, having had only two people ahead of me on line!)

I took out books for all the kids, and my toddler played, played, and played some more. Finally, we were beginning to feel tired, and we returned to our car.

We slowly navigated our way out of the crowded parking lot. There were still many cars and people coming and going. I reached the edge of the parking lot, and took my place behind a line of cars in the right turn lane. By craning my neck, I could see that the light was red. So I enjoyed the music in the car while waiting for the cars to move.

I’m not sure how many minutes we were sitting there with our right blinker on before a man finally came over. I rolled down the window so that I could hear him.

“Did you realize that all those cars are parked?”

Actually, no, I hadn’t. Whoops.

I thanked the man, and proceeded to pass by all the driverless cars, feeling pretty stupid for not noticing!

(In case you are now thinking to yourself that I just mistook the parking lane for a right turning lane, I did not. I have been to that library many times, and the only place to park is in the parking lot. There is normally no parking lane, but having run out of parking spots, some people parked in the right lane, almost until the traffic light.)

Moral of the Story: Pay Attention!

I couldn’t help but reflect on the incident on the way home. How many times do we fail to notice something crucial because we weren’t paying attention? How often do we not even realize something nice was done for us because we weren’t looking for it? And how many opportunities do we miss because we just didn’t realize that they were there waiting for us?

Hashem is constantly looking after us, taking care of our every need. He orchestrates the whole scene so it fits our needs just so.

If we search, we will find traces of His involvement everywhere. If we open our eyes, we will see the endless possibilities that are open to us. And if we invest the effort, we will see pieces of the puzzle come together and explain away some of our confusion.

We will notice all sorts of wonderful things, but only if we are paying attention!

Practical Bitachon: Some Examples

1. Finding the good in a bad situation

   Within months of moving into our new home, the beautiful wood floors began developing some bumps. These were not small irregularities; they eventually grew to the size of speed bumps, the largest one extending from the living room all the way to the middle of the dining room. The bump was so big that we had to put a table over it to prevent people from tripping!

   At first, this represented a huge aggravation for us. We spent hours dealing with the insurance and contractors to assess, evaluate, and claim the damage. We were unsure the whole time whether our insurance would cover our losses or whether we would be forced to make repairs out of our own pocket.

   However, what began as a huge stress quickly melted when we received a check from our homeowner’s insurance. We were able to put down a lovely new floor, replace our air conditioning units (the bumps were caused by an air conditioner leak), and even have a little bit left over! The leak was no longer a mishap, but a kind and loving gift from God.

2. Seeing Hashem’s Hand in the world (Divine Providence)

   Our stroller recently fell apart. Completely. The frame disconnected and stroller was not usable at all.

   I have had strollers become rickety, or worn out, but never have I seen one just come apart like this.

   To make a long story short, the timing couldn’t have been better. Within days, we were able to take advantage of an amazing promotion to purchase a sturdy new stroller at a fantastic price.

   If any one small detail had been different, it could have changed the ending of the story dramatically. (Drama is relative, of course. This was a stroller, after all, not a life and death situation!)

   • The stroller might not have broken at all. We would still have our stroller and would never even have known that in another scenario we could have had a new one!

   • Had the stroller been rickety but usable, it is likely we would not have been thinking about buying a new one. The promotion would have passed without our knowing that we needed a new stroller.

   • The stroller could have fallen apart a month later. The promotion was a one-time deal, and we would have missed it. We would have bought a stroller that was by far inferior to the one we got.

   • The promotion could not have existed.

   • We could have been unaware of the promotion.

   This was not a lucky coincidence; it was the Hand of God! Clearly, Hashem guided us and helped us to obtain a great stroller which we never would have even considered without this push.

3. Noticing an opportunity

   No one asks to get sick. Yet people who have experienced a serious illness often report that their situation brought them closer to Hashem. Though their situation was very difficult, they recognize that something positive emerged from their challenge as well.

   Some people will refuse to accept that troubles represent opportunity. Others just don’t see it because they aren’t paying attention. If you keep on the lookout, you will always be able to find something good!