Normally when I go to London I quite happily accept that the London way is bustle, bustle, push and push, especially on Tubes.
I was there this week and I have to admit it was slightly disconcerting at 08:30 in the morning after just arriving as you are getting off a tube and heading towards an escalator and hundreds off people were heading towards you coming off of escalators like a rampaging bull – Mumma !!!
With plenty of time I stood to one side and all was well, I wasn’t stampeded.
The following morning and my last day in London I waited patiently like I normally do and observed when even a short women desperately trying to get her child to school pushed passed my place in the tube ticket terminal queue by lifting my arm up and forcing her child through followed by herself and never even acknowledged my presence. Guess that’s how it has to be every day to get on with your day the London way, or is it.
Later that day I was more on deadline myself to get to on two different tubes to get me to Paddington station for my Train home. As the tube approached and it appeared full and not wanting to be in my usual situation where by everyone pushes past me and I am either doing the impression of a sardine with my face impressioned against the glass of the tube door or even worse pressed up against someones smelly armpit and as sometimes happens, actually left still standing on the platform I needed to rethink my approach.
I took a step closer to the train and then another step closer. I hadn’t pushed past anyone I had literally stepped forward in alignment from where I was previously stood and waited for the doors to open and the passengers to alight but I was ready, once the last person alighted I was in.
I was in perfect alignment with the train door and as I stepped up on to the Train a voice from the side of me said ‘There is no need to push”. How ironic I thought. I don’t think I have ever heard anyone speak to each other on a tube, they very rarely make eye contact and the first time I try a bit of dog eat dog boom I get the one person with the moral compass to speak out.
I had just been on a course where it spoke about Parent, Child, Adult how to react in situations or how we normally react instinctively.
I looked at the young man looking smug and smiling to himself and I felt compelled to reply to his comment. Calmly I pointed out that I am not local but whenever I come to the ‘Big Smoke’ (I didn’t actually use that terminology) due to my polite nature I am normally left standing on the platform whilst everyone else pushes passed me and today I thought I would change my tact and follow the London way. He replied it wasn’t the London way and words just fell out of my mouth and told him it was how it was every time I came here.
The conversation ended and everyone else appeared to adopt the normal stance of no eye contact, no speaking and normal service resumed.
I did however after have, maybe the weirdest thought “How would have Wayne Dyer handled that?”
The following morning I was not in work and had the luxury to do what I wanted and following advise from Oprah posted in regards to Thanks Giving chose some inspirational material to listen to before getting out of bed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiQ6S6Jx9_I
In the video Wayne practised kinesiology on one of the crew and I knew instantly what Wayne would have done and I knew what I would do if I had that experience over or in future.
If I had the situation over again I would have reverted to type and not stepped forward in the first place and waited calmly and patiently and avoided the whole situation and that thought felt right, felt good, felt like who I am and the essence of me.
This process of how thought affects the body as practiced through kinesiology in the Video stuck with me and how your body reacts via love and how it reacts via hate and revenge, I only wanted to think thoughts of LOVE and I set myself an experiment to go about my day and despite however anyone behaved I would always revert my thought back to LOVE.
I had to pay two separate visits to a supermarket and I was no angel. When I stood to one side to let people pass and they didn’t even acknowledge me it initially crossed my mind ‘What am I invisible here?’ but then I reminded myself think thoughts of love, think thoughts of love if only for your own best interests.
When queuing to get out of the car park and a man aggressively pulled out from behind someone else and tried to force his way into to the queue I was in I physically felt myself pull forward as did the guy in front of me as to try to stop him. I, then realising what I was doing relaxed and started letting people out one by one in front of me. I turned the music up on my car radio and thought ‘The longer I am here the more I get to enjoy these tunes’.
I checked the time it took to get out of the car park after letting several people out and it was 7 minutes in total. Not much in the grand scheme of things and I was far happier and calmer than the majority of people I recalled coming in to contact with throughout my day.
That’s why I feel I am and can relate to the ‘Happiest Penguin Ever’
We all have a choice and the power to attract in to our day the best experiences regardless of the situations or other poples reactions.
Have a great weekend and lets all be happy Penguin’s