Yesterday I went to a museum with my daughters and in the gift shop there was a nifty slot machine that offered in exchange for “4 quarters,” a “surprise print.”
Inside the machine were 10 beautifully rendered scenes of life in New York, including a park bench, hot dog stand, slice of pizza, bagel with lox, a fire escape.
My daughters searched and found 4 quarters in the bottom of their purses, slid the quarters in the slots, pushed and pulled, and got in exchange a lovely print of the fire escape.
And I thought, this transaction is a metaphor for life.
First, you never receive something for nothing. You have to put your “4 Quarters” in the slots, push and pull, and then typically what you receive in return is a surprise.
And this surprise is best to be embraced, rather than avoided. Because if we always knew what we would receive in return for our “4 quarters” life would be a simple math equation. But life isn’t. Usually our “4 quarters” results in something just beyond the expected – good or bad – and yes, we might experience disappointment, but this is also where delight and joy dwell, waiting for us to choose to put our quarters in the slots.
——
If you know someone who might like to receive a daily email of On Emotions CLICK HERE.
To download or share a free copy of my new book How to Feel (a little better): 50 Ideas for 2024 CLICK HERE.
On Emotions 