Women's Empowerment Stories ...

Open the taps!
~ Bonnie Hutchinson

The set-up

My husband and I are thinking of adding a small bathroom in a space that now serves as laundry room. A truly amazing contractor is sizing up the situation, figuring out what is possible, what can go where, and what it might cost. He’s truly amazing because he’s a qualified electrician and plumber, a competent carpenter and finisher, and by age 26 had built his first house. He works fast, is committed to quality, and charges reasonable rates. A gem!

Since we moved into our home a couple of years ago, the tap in the laundry room sink has not worked properly. The water appears to have no pressure. You can turn on the taps as far as they’ll go, and just a trickle of water comes out. It hasn’t been a big deal – we seldom use that sink in the space as it is now - but it’s a petty annoyance.

The "Duh" incident

As we are talking about probably wanting a new sink, I mention that the existing taps have not worked properly since we moved in. I describe the petty annoyance.

The contractor reaches over, unscrews something from the end of the faucet, and turns on the tap. Water gushes out!

The contractor shows us the little gizmo he’s removed from the end of the faucet. "Look at that," he says. "Completely blocked."

We are stunned. We have to laugh. For almost three years, we’ve been tolerating something that could have been fixed in 30 seconds!

Un-subtle reflections

Since our "tap" experience, I’ve been looking around at other tolerations. A door that doesn’t quite close. Some clutter (okay, quite a bit of clutter) in one part of my office. An empty travel bag waiting to be put away.

None of these is any particular big deal. And yet ... they are all "tolerations." It takes a little bit of energy to avoid having them bother. And every little toleration is another energy drain. And another and another and another . . .

Pretty soon, not much positive energy is hanging around because of all the energy drains.

Who knows? Maybe every one of these tolerations can be fixed in 30 seconds! What are we waiting for?

Even less subtle reflections

Over the past couple of years, my husband and I have experienced more than one kind of "lack" in ways that we certainly never expected. Of course we are not immune from being affected by events in the world, but both of us would have expected ourselves to ride the waves and bounce back quickly. We always have before. But this time has been different.

I know we’re not the only ones who have had this kind of experience. I hear about it often from other entrepreneurs, and it’s in the media too. But still, we did think our own internal capacities and abilities would have served us better. It’s definitely been a blow to our egos. I don’t like to think that we were arrogant before, but if we were, the last couple of years have certainly aided our humility!

And so, the incident of the blocked tap took us another place: "We need to open the taps!"

If I am brutally honest, I can suddenly see all kinds of ways that I’ve been blocking the taps of abundance in my life. To put it in a kind way, I kind of lost touch with ingrained habits of abundance that served me well for most of my life.

One subtle possibility

And yet and yet ... when I look at the kind of depth I’ve been led to through the experiences of the past couple of years, I am in awe. I’m not sure if this could have happened an easier way (it would have been fine with me if it could have!), but I now feel stronger and more solid, with more depth of wisdom and compassion, less fear of truth, more understanding of my core purpose, and occasional experiences of the divine, than ever before in my life. All that with humility of course!

This morning I was reading about "the divine plan of your life" and for the past couple of weeks I’ve been reading about grace - which we cannot make happen but which we can allow. Perhaps, just perhaps, this a time of grace for many of us, however messy it may appear along the way.

Your Coaching Challenge

Look around your home and work space. Look around at your relationships and how you use your time. What are you tolerating? What would it take to fix it? (It may be easier than you imagine.) Get to it!

Are there areas of your personal or business life where you have "blocked the taps" of abundance? What would it take to open those taps? Get to it!

As you scan experiences or aspects of your life that are less than pleasing to you, consider the possibility that they may have a deeper meaning or a benefit that is a form of grace. Take time to appreciate the mystery of how life unfolds.

Going Global

Is there something in the world that you are "tolerating" but that you have the power to change? Get to it! It may be easier than you imagine.

Is there something in the world where you can see that if "the taps were unblocked," abundance could flow? Find people to help unblock the taps.

Is there something in the world that you don’t like? Consider the possibility that there could be a deeper meaning and a benefit - a grace -- that is not visible to you at the moment. Take time to appreciate the mystery of how the world unfolds.

~ Bonnie Hutchinson

Bonnie is offering a series of 4 free teleseminars to support those of us who long to SOAR! Two calls have already occurred but you can access the recordings. The third call will be held June 1. If you’re ready to bust through blocks to move forward in your life in exciting new ways, click the following link to register. http://www.soulpowerwisdom.com/soarcalls.htm