The Bigger Lesson

Last Friday, I was having a great day. That morning, I got word that I passed the final part of my four part intensive exam to become a certified health and wellness coach, which I had been working hard on all year. I also received some beautiful emails of hearty congratulations from various members of my Toastmasters club for achieving a new level in my advanced communication track. Another email informed me that I had a surprise package waiting for me in the office.

I took a walk down to my favorite coffee shop and bought a coffee and a gift card for my yoga teacher. On my way back home, I stopped at the office and picked up my package. I got home and eagerly opened the package and saw that it was from a close friend in Washington. Inside, I found a beautiful, handmade cutting board that her friend specially made for me. I was thrilled and my heart felt so warm and grateful for receiving such a thoughtful gift.

By late morning, I was on my way to yoga class, slightly late, so I wrote the card for my teacher at every stoplight, telling her how much I enjoy her class and my appreciation for how much she has taught me this year. I got there right on time and got through another amazing class of hers. I drove home, parked, and soon noticed something peculiar. I observed that my bike had been stolen. Someone climbed over a small opening at the top of the fence and cut through my $100 lock. I was instantly heartbroken.

Believe it or not, this is the third bike of mine to be stolen in about six years. This bike was by far the most expensive one I’ve ever had. I bought it for myself for my birthday this past April. Rather than blaming and being angry with the person who stole my bike (I did that the first two times my bikes were stolen), I decided to take a different approach this time. I chose to use that energy to look inside me and see what lessons I could learn from this. Of course there were the superficial lessons, like I should have kept my bike in a safer place, the cover I put on it drew attention to it, I should’ve bought a better lock, and so on. However, I’ve discovered that there are always bigger lessons to be learned, if we choose to dig deep.

Through this process, I came to the conclusion that my bike was a waste of money. It wasn’t a smart purchase (and neither were the other two bikes that were stolen). In eight months, I probably only rode this bike five times. I bought the bike out of impulse because there was an instant gratification need at that time. The deeper lesson, which I’m still unfolding, is what that instant gratification need was for. This was an important lesson because this need will come again, and I want to be able to recognize it and make a wiser decision in the future.

I can proudly say that what started as a fantastic day, continued as a fantastic day because I chose to take the loss of my bike and turn it into a deep lesson. Remember, there is always a bigger lesson. Mistakes will always be your greatest teacher and as you continue to grow into the person you long to be, I hope that you choose to ask yourself what the bigger lesson to be learned is. After you uncover that bigger lesson, ask yourself that question again, and don’t be surprised if you find that grander lesson. In my case, a bike can be replaced, but some lessons are priceless; but you must first go through the pain to receive the deeper teaching.