I stopped to pick up some items on my way home from work today and there were some specials on toys. I was contemplating buying some for my children when a stranger approached me and said I looked like I wanted to spend money. I said ‘no’, but that I was just thinking of buying my children more toys only that they don’t need more as they had just had their birthday. She said she still buys things for her girls who are now 20. She revealed that she has twins, so of course this started a conversation about our twins and she told me it gets easier which funnily enough (or not) I was just complaining about my ‘teething twins’ to a paramedic today at work as my husband and I have been having a somewhat difficult time with our ‘teething twins’ of late. A reminder for me that this phase will pass and to be patient.
This is a perfect example of a quick-stir, a quick-as-a-flash person that pops into our lives quickly and then leaves just as suddenly, but they always leave an impression. I’m calling them quick-stirs because they ‘stir’ up emotions and thoughts in us that we wouldn’t have thought of had they not been there to remind us or to tell us. These people pop in and out of our lives when we need an affirmation or confirmation on an issue. If you blink you will miss them, but open your senses to them and you have the ability to learn a great deal. It is these people who sometimes can leave a bigger impression on us at the time then a loved one can. Strangers tell it the way it is, they aren’t concerned they will upset you because they don’t know you. I know not every family member or friend will sugar coat their advice and often you receive honesty from them but they come with a familiar strategy, in that they will always approach something the way they see it and we get used to how people we know like to give advice and how they view the world. People close to us no doubt have the ability to help us and make us think about things more deeply but I think quick-stirs possess the ‘breath of fresh air’ approach in their ability to show us another viewpoint or give us the skills necessary that help to resolve our issues. Now mine wasn’t an issue per se, but it was a reminder that this too will pass like every stage in life. She also added that her girls have a special bond and always look out for one another. She was talking about the twin bond and it’s what I’ve recognised in my own twins and it’s a brilliant reminder on the difficult days that I should be grateful I am able to witness such a bond and be a mother to twins. I’m thankful for this reminder today from the quick-stir I came across to help me to once again put things into perspective.
Quick-stirs, you will recognise, turn up at exactly the right moment when you need to hear or feel a certain way about something. Maybe you read something and then a stranger, co-worker, friend of a friend or a customer ‘happens’ to mention or talk about that very topic causing you to think about things more deeply or invest more time in it. Or you just can’t get to the bottom of a problem that’s bothering you and a random person gives you the tools for you to work it out on your own and move on. It’s along the same lines as ‘signs’ but its more focused on what’s going on in the present time and a timely reminder to stay in that moment, rather than just a mere ‘sign’ showing or telling you to be alert. Quick-stirs will stay with you even if just for a few hours and you remember what they look like and perhaps their words repeat in your head. They also come in a ‘negative’ disguise which may stir you to react in a not so harmonious way. Just remember these are ‘tests’, not like a regular test but a test for your soul to learn and grow, you are choosing this reaction they are not causing it. Just like it’s a choice to notice these influential people who are quickly fast tracked out of our lives, but there for a purpose.
I’ve been thinking today what direction I wanted this blog to take and I’m just going to go with the flow- a bit here and a bit there. By no means is it a ‘self help’ blog just me rambling stuff and attempting to sift through the darkness to find my tone. I hope that I might inspire you to think differently or give you motivation to be a better you. Hey, maybe I’m even a quick-stir! you just never know…
Eight Violets 