As I was writing in my journal this morning I set my intention for the day, but as I was writing the two words “be productive” my pen ran out of ink.

It kinda had to make me smile. Here I was setting my intention to be productive today and I couldn’t even be productive in setting ink to paper with those two words of my intention.

Here’s the fun part. In the drawer of my coffee table next to the chair I journal in there were 5 pens there waiting for me. This 5 pens would have been brought there 5 different times, probably with an eyeroll 4 of the 5 times when I saw I already had one there, but on 5 seperate occasions with just 5 small past efforts I had set something into motion to support myself in moving forward to my goal today. They weren’t big efforts or steps, it wasn’t a setting and achieving of a big hairy audacious goal, but it was 5 times when instead of just lumping myself in front of the tv I did something.

Now when I look at the pen it wasn’t even out of ink, it had just stopped flowing. It was the opportunity to chose to learn a lesson in life that sometimes I may think I have a plan and it is a good one that I may think I know how to get done, and I did, but by being flexible and by having supported myself today through the actions of my past I could still get it done and move forward.

I could have chosen to be pissed off that a seemingly half-full pen had let me down by no longer allowing ink to flow, shaking it, maybe letting out a little swear, throwing my hands up and saying “see, what’s the point in journalling, getting up earlier to allow myself to start the day by being mindful in the morning or setting an intention… obviously I am not meant to and shouldn’t have bothered” (wow, I feel my hackles getting up and the tension building just writing that), or I can chose to smile and say “well-played universe, thank you for reminding me that there is more than one way to accomplish my goal if I am flexible, that the steps I take to help move me forward in life do not need to be these monumental leaps I somehow believe they need to be, but that I have in fact supported my future through my small daily actions, even the ones I would have rolled my eyes over doing”.

May you always see the extra pen at your side.

With love, Glenna