The peril of being Possibility Impaired

Have you ever heard the expression Possibility Impaired?

I hadn’t until I read a real estate book by Gary Eldred.

He wrote about home owners who couldn’t see the potential—the possibilities—in their properties.

I immediately thought about how applicable this phrase was to so much of our lives.

Please allow me share a couple of examples.

I was headed home on the final and short leg of my flight from a recent trip.

Deciding a crossword puzzle was just the ticket, I picked up the complementary in-flight magazine.

Unfortunately, someone had already filled in the answers.

I asked my seat mate, who was intensely focused on a Hard Level game of Sudoku, if I could have his magazine.

Answering with a polite “Yes,” he handed me the publication and returned to his puzzle.

I was thinking, “Sudoku? Ugh.”

Words? Yay!

Numbers? Not so yay.

Opening the magazine, I discovered the crossword page has been torn out.

I quietly sighed as my eyes perused what was left: an Easy Sudoku (ha! like there is such a thing) and an acrostic.

After drawing a blank at the first couple of clues for the word puzzle, I thought maybe I’d just nap instead.

My musings were interrupted by the gentleman to my left. “Are you going to do the crossword?” he asked with a smile.

“No. Somebody took it with them.”

Pointing to the number puzzle, he cheerfully remarked, “You can do the Sudoku!”

I laughed and declined, and then found myself explaining, poorly, how I don’t do math puzzles.

In spite of my reluctance, Stuart enthusiastically offered to teach me.

Remembering to practice what I preach, I answered “Sure” with as much eagerness as I could muster.

We spent the entire flight with him encouraging me at every turn, mentoring me in that dastardly game.

Of course, our conversation covered lots of other ground: his fascinating background as a fireman, teacher, and a Fire Investigator; mine as an avid student of life and relationships, and how I share insights for discovering uncommon joy in the everyday on my blog.

I know those of you that know me are shocked that I would get into a lengthy and animated conversation with a stranger.

By the end of our ride, Stuart had changed me from being Possibility Impaired about Sudoku to a mindset where I daresay I enjoy the game.

The peril of being Possibility Impaired is that we miss out on so much in life because we are blind to possibilities.

I had written off Sudoku as a boring numbers game, even though I have family members who are passionate about it.

I couldn’t see the Possibility for Joy in solving those brain teasers.

When we are Possibility Impaired in small ways, like by a puzzle, it’s not such a big deal.

However, when we are Possibility Impaired about marriage, that impacts the quality of our lives in a huge way.

I’d like you to join me at Happy Wives Club where I have written about this very topic:

Embracing the Gift of Possibility in your Marriage

I invite you to come on over and be encouraged!

Photo: D. Sharon Pruitt

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