I own a web development business, and recently I lost internet and phone service for four days. To say it was stressful, would be an understatement. However, I learned something precious from this experience. I found a way to lean into gratitude and start feeling much better before they fixed the problem.

The Gratitude List

I used to keep a gratitude list in Evernote, and now and then, I would take it out and look it over. It was nice to have and always made me feel good reading it, but I didn’t “use” it much..

I have a friend who carries around a gratitude journal, and throughout the day she jots down things she feels grateful for. She then spends time letting each one sink in to feel the grace. She is someone who is really “using” gratitude to make her life better on a daily basis. We could all use a little of that.

Good Day Gone Bad

Last Saturday morning I was sitting on my couch writing a new eBook for my More Positive Outcomes audience, and I was super excited to get it done and posted to the website. I ran errands earlier that morning and was having just a beautiful, spiritual day. I felt completely aligned with the universe. Then all of a sudden my internet went out, on a dime it was dead. I could not access my writing software (which syncs all my articles and eBooks) or any of my client files.

My daughter had just arrived to fill out paperwork online for a new job. So my peaceful, wonderful day quickly turned into a frenzy of chaos.

Frustration Building

My multiple calls to Fairpoint resulted in a lot of frustration and confusion. In the end, I had no choice but to wait until Monday when someone would be out, by six p.m. to fix it.

The weekend was challenging, but I went to Verizon and purchased a hotspot to use for work on Monday. The hotspot provided internet access, but not much faster than old-fashioned dial-up.

Monday, Monday

Monday came, and the technician showed up, she stayed less than 3 minutes then drove off saying the problem was somewhere down the road.

I called Fairpoint at 4:45 p.m. Monday afternoon to get a status update on the repair; it was then that I hit bottom. The woman was unfriendly, unhelpful and told me the ticket was closed, even though I still had no phone and no internet and they weren’t coming back. As I hung up the phone, I broke down into tears, not sure what to do next or who to turn to for help.

Asking For Help

I was juggling two new clients that week and having to do my work using the Verizon hotspot, really stressed me out. Monday was a very long day.

Monday night, after having my freak-out, I prayed to God/The Universe for help. I asked for help in allowing myself a more positive outcome. I also asked for the faith to trust that help was on its way, and life would go back to normal soon.

It was then that I became hyper aware of how dependent we have all become on this thing called the internet and how our lives just grind to a halt without it. I didn’t grow up with the internet or even computers. We all used to live just fine without this stuff. When did it become so life and death important?

I have to say; it was quite refreshing to go a couple of days offline. I felt disconnected like no one could find me and it was a GOOD feeling. All this super-connectivity is not a healthy thing; sometimes it is good just to “be.”

From Victim To Gratitude Warrior

I woke up on Tuesday morning feeling very different, even though the problem remained. I kept using the hotspot to do my work, but I felt calm and unworried. It was very different from how I felt on Monday.

Suddenly, I was aware that I had allowed myself to feel like a “helpless victim,” at the mercy of this big, bad company. I forgot that I have the power to change things and I did not rely on my spiritual guides to help me resolve the issue and allow myself a quick solution.

I had fallen into self-pity, frustration, and disappointment. Having lumped so many things into that bucket all at once, no wonder it took four days for relief to come. Once I finally did ask for help, it came without question, quickly and easily, as miracles often do.

Relief

Around 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, I happened to look over at my modem, and it was green again. That angry, red light that had been staring at me for four days was gone. I hadn’t seen or heard anyone from Fairpoint, and I doubted that it would work, but I plugged my computer back in, and voila’ it was working; super fast internet again.

The sense of relief I felt was immense. I could go back to doing my work as normal, and I wouldn’t lose my two new clients due to slow internet speeds.

In answer to my prayers the previous evening, I was guided towards gratitude way before resolution of the problem, and it helped me to step back and see some things more clearly.

Grateful Beyond Words

Early Tuesday morning, I started feeling grateful, despite the ongoing technical challenges. Grateful for all those little things which make our lives so much easier. I for one, take them for granted far too easily and too often. So I decided to spend some time just being grateful that I had a temporary solution, I was able to do my work although slower than usual, but I was moving forward and I hadn’t lost my new clients.

I stopped and thought about how self-absorbed and reliant on all this “stuff” we have become and I re-focused my mind and my energy on the things which are important, stopping to dwell on feeling gratitude for each of them.

Even though my business is what supports me and having a connection to the internet is important, it’s NOT everything, and I have let it become too important.

A Week of Joy and Gratitude

For the rest of that week, I found great joy in little things: floating and swimming in the pool, eating homemade crab cakes, a gentle breeze coming through the open window at night, a visit with my lovely daughter, cuddling with my cat Gabe, and the comfort of my bed.

I am so grateful for the forced timeout so that I could put the internet and all this technology in proper perspective compared to what really matters in my life.

I live a life of immense abundance of those truly important things like friends, family, love, good health and comfort.

Take a tip from my good, spiritual friend and use your own gratitude list to tap into the power and healing that gratitude offers us all!