TCC To The Rescue (May 2013)

Recently I found myself needing a quick response to a situation completely of my own making. Because it was winter when I used a new staining product to finish a small piece of furniture, I started the project in my living area. That’s where the emergency occurred. In a split second, the contents of the tube of stain shot out of control, landing in the center of my living room carpet, entirely missing the too-small drop cloth. What to do?

In the past I would have panicked, but this time in the back of my head I heard the voice of April, my T’ai Chi Chih teacher. I heard, “Be in the here and now. Don’t worry about what happened in the past or what you’re going to do in the future. Just focus on the present.”

I quickly got control of the situation. Remembering carefully reading the instructions that said to clean up with soap and water, I grabbed the kitchen dishwashing liquid and poured a generous amount on the stain. Next I got a bucket of cold water and some old towels and began working on my seemingly impossible task.

What do you know? It worked – all because I stayed focused. It wasn’t a life saving event, but it did save my carpet and who knows how much money. I also felt really happy about my new calm attitude and action.