Things break, and it’s a nuisance when they do. Sometimes they break at the most inopportune moments, and then you get to remember that you’re capable of a lot more than you usually have to do.

Late Saturday evening, I was giving the plants in the back yard one last watering before turning in for the night when I noticed something ominous: silence.

As soon as I realized that there was sweat running down into my eyes but no air conditioner compressor running in my yard, I connected with the faint scent of dust that I had noticed just before going outside. I finished my watering and went in to check the thermostat. Just as I had feared, the fan was blowing, the temperature was rising, and there was no air conditioning happening.

“Sweetie, we have a problem,” I said to my husband who, even at the late hour, was still at his desk getting convention updates out to our team.

There are many things I know how to do, but a/c repair is not one of them. Keep in mind that this has been an oppressive summer (the 2nd or 3rd worst in history, depending on when you’re reading this), so we knew that immediate action was not only required for our personal comfort but also for the well-being of our pets.

"Wake me when it's cooler."

The story of trying to get a response to requests for service is for another day, and our thanks go out to our networking friends* for rapid responses that going to a store did not provide. We appreciate you so much!

In the interim, however, between Friday evening and 9:00 AM on Monday morning when our comfort was restored, we dug down into the mental resources we don’t usually have to employ, and we found they were still
there when we needed them. As the temperature rose to 103 degrees:

• we took notice of unnecessary activity, and we stopped it
• we remembered that lights generate heat, and we turned them off
• we experienced the frustration that heat generates, and we turned our minds to calm
• we stepped up to the brink of heat-induced anger, and took a step back
• and, as my mother would always advise me, we “thought cool thoughts”

With a little self-control, a lot of ice water, and a stack of wet towels to wipe down with, we and the pets made it through to Monday morning’s relief.

Sometimes you hear just the right story at just the right time. Our CEO told a story this weekend about a man who froze to death in a box car** that demonstrates the power of the mind. Cold or hot, how you think about things really matters.

The next time you hit an obstacle Find. One. Thing. in it to remind you of what you’re capable. Then use that capacity to make every day, not just the challenging ones, a demonstration of your strength. You can astonish yourself.

vs

*Our thanks to Trent Mason of Freedom Plumbing who introduced us to Thomas Deason of Cozy-D Air Conditioning and to Ron Davis, contractor extraordinaire, who connected us with Paul Vergas Air Conditioning. Call us if you need their numbers. We’re in your debt, guys.

**Ask Michael if you’d like to hear that story. He tells it well.

Find. One. Thing.