Acceptance: "The Speeding Ticket"

I can't recall another time when I was so angry. No... mad is a better word. I had been out of town for a few days and was anxious to get home. So without realizing it, I was drivng a little faster than I normally do. I saw the officer as soon as I topped the hill, and as I glanced at my speedometer, I noticed that I was going about 75 miles per hour. As I drove past him, I thought, "Please don't get me!" But unfortunately, he pulled onto the highway, turned on his red and blue lights, passed up a couple of other cars and pulled right behind me. And when all was said and done, I had gotten a ticket!

I was furious! Especially when the officer seemed to ignore the fact that my husband was also an officer of the law. He couldn't have cared less about that bit of information. "Sir," I said as I smiled at him. "I am the wife of a police officer." I thought for sure this would get me off the hook.

Needless to say, my day was ruined. I couldn't believe I had gotten a ticket. I thought to myself, "Am I being punished for something? Why me! Why me! How dare he give me a ticket!"

As I headed back into town, I thought about the yoga workshop I was supposed to attend at the yoga center that evening. But because I was so upset about the ticket, I kept trying to talk myself out of going. I just couldn't get the officer out of my mind. I couldn't think about anything else.

As I drove up to the center, I could see that the workshop had already started. After sitting in my car for a few minutes, I decided to go on in. I took my place at the back of the class and joined in on the stretching exercises. I struggled to get the image of the officer and his ticket out of my head.

After a few minutes, I could feel myself really start to get into the workout. It was amazing how a good workout could calm the mind. After about half-way through the workout, the instructor asked us to sit on the floor, close our eyes, cross our legs and place our open palms on our knees. As I sat there in the meditation position, the events of the day started to melt away. The anger was dissipating, and I began to feel in control again. My mind felt still and more peaceful. Then something happened. In the darkness and stillness of the moment, out of nowhere, a word came to the surface of my mind. I wondered where it came from. I knew it didn't come from the outside, spoken by someone else. I knew that my feeble mind wasn't the originator. I immediately recognized it as a message sent from my soul. It was the word "acceptance."

The message I received was clear. Don't resist. Accept. After recognizing what it all meant, I surrendered. I made peace with the situation of the day, the situation that left me with a speeding ticket. Instead of seeing the officer as someone imposing an inconvenience and a hardship on me, I now saw him as someone holding me accountable for my actions. I took full ownership of my ticket and the entire situation.