This is one of those late blogs. I know you were anxious to read it. Yes, I kept my Monday promise (aren't you glad I did?).
The last few weeks have been really crazy. I can't lie and say that I was not challenged. It came down to one thing: rest. Yes, if I wanted to remain sane, I had to rest. So, for three and half days, I was away from everything: phone, Internet, work, friends...Otherwise, I couldn't come to my senses.
It was also a time to reflect about where I am and where I want to be (yes, challenges seem to change me into a philosopher...). I slept a lot, but sometimes the baby did not allow me to do it the way I wanted. I now have a lot of catching up to do as I broke some promises about things I was going to do, but didn't. Hope you will understand.
Back to my reflection. Over the week-end, I was thinking about what I was able to accomplish, as well as my challenges. I have to say that 2004 was my most challenging year. As, Napoleon Hill said, every adversity brings an equivalent blessing. I agree with him, but it is hard to think about that when the road is tough. It is only when we look back that we are able to connect the dots, thus understand that the challenges were blessings in disguise.
One single day in 2004 will forever remain in my memory. It was September 1st, six months had passed with no sign of light at the end of the tunnel. I was hopeless. I did have any single penny in my pocket, worse, I did not see any one coming soon. I was working on a project that was failing day by day in front of my eyes. Somebody had given me an office for my work, but this particular day, I couldn't go simply because I did not have the means to do so.
Early morning, I woke up but couldn't even get off my bed. What for? Helpless, I did one thing that I have learned to do ever since: I prayed. My prayer was simple, yet sincere. I just said: “God, if you are out there, this is the time for you to show up. Otherwise, there is no way I can do this. Now the matter is in your hands. I am going back to sleep. If you need me, you will let me know”. Guess what? I went back to sleep.
Five minute into my sleep, the phone rang. The voice was a very familiar one. It was a lady working at a place I had been volunteering for two years as a English-French interpreter. She just went: “Patrick, are you available to do some translation work?” I said yes, hoping that she won't ask me to do it right then, as I had no bus ticket to get there. What followed was simply amazing. She said: “There is a lawyer who has been looking for an interpreter, and he is willing to pay for the work”. Did you hear that? That was a song that I was longing to hear.
Long story short, she gave me the lawyer's phone number, who came to pick me up (lucky me), gave me some work to do for a couple of hours, then paid me enough to cover a month worth of transportation...This was a miracle.
All of this was done before noon. After cashing the cheque, I remembered one thing. Do you know what it was? Guess!. I remembered my prayer earlier in the morning. Did He deliver or what? In fact He never stopped.
Moral of the story? Do you want to overcome challenges? Just go to sleep and somebody will call you.
Always a pleasure
Patrick
The Journeyman
The last few weeks have been really crazy. I can't lie and say that I was not challenged. It came down to one thing: rest. Yes, if I wanted to remain sane, I had to rest. So, for three and half days, I was away from everything: phone, Internet, work, friends...Otherwise, I couldn't come to my senses.
It was also a time to reflect about where I am and where I want to be (yes, challenges seem to change me into a philosopher...). I slept a lot, but sometimes the baby did not allow me to do it the way I wanted. I now have a lot of catching up to do as I broke some promises about things I was going to do, but didn't. Hope you will understand.
Back to my reflection. Over the week-end, I was thinking about what I was able to accomplish, as well as my challenges. I have to say that 2004 was my most challenging year. As, Napoleon Hill said, every adversity brings an equivalent blessing. I agree with him, but it is hard to think about that when the road is tough. It is only when we look back that we are able to connect the dots, thus understand that the challenges were blessings in disguise.
One single day in 2004 will forever remain in my memory. It was September 1st, six months had passed with no sign of light at the end of the tunnel. I was hopeless. I did have any single penny in my pocket, worse, I did not see any one coming soon. I was working on a project that was failing day by day in front of my eyes. Somebody had given me an office for my work, but this particular day, I couldn't go simply because I did not have the means to do so.
Early morning, I woke up but couldn't even get off my bed. What for? Helpless, I did one thing that I have learned to do ever since: I prayed. My prayer was simple, yet sincere. I just said: “God, if you are out there, this is the time for you to show up. Otherwise, there is no way I can do this. Now the matter is in your hands. I am going back to sleep. If you need me, you will let me know”. Guess what? I went back to sleep.
Five minute into my sleep, the phone rang. The voice was a very familiar one. It was a lady working at a place I had been volunteering for two years as a English-French interpreter. She just went: “Patrick, are you available to do some translation work?” I said yes, hoping that she won't ask me to do it right then, as I had no bus ticket to get there. What followed was simply amazing. She said: “There is a lawyer who has been looking for an interpreter, and he is willing to pay for the work”. Did you hear that? That was a song that I was longing to hear.
Long story short, she gave me the lawyer's phone number, who came to pick me up (lucky me), gave me some work to do for a couple of hours, then paid me enough to cover a month worth of transportation...This was a miracle.
All of this was done before noon. After cashing the cheque, I remembered one thing. Do you know what it was? Guess!. I remembered my prayer earlier in the morning. Did He deliver or what? In fact He never stopped.
Moral of the story? Do you want to overcome challenges? Just go to sleep and somebody will call you.
Always a pleasure
Patrick
The Journeyman
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