How I turned a Keyboard Pad into a Yoga Mat

Monday.

There I was, lost in the endless scroll of my phone when a ping from the delivery guy grabbed my attention.

"My delivery was on its way" - he said.

But here's the thing, with the number of orders I've been sending each week, I couldn't remember what it was - it was a typical situation.

I'd tap 'order,' the app would ping me when it's arriving, and then I'd be patiently waiting to surprise myself. I know, it's not the most organized system, but hey, it's how I roll.

So that day, I did the same thing.

I was also busy with my website and writing that I didn't take the time to check what it was.

Although, I vaguely remembered something about a yoga mat... or was it a keyboard pad? "Ah, forget it," I said to myself. I'd figure it out when it arrived, right? RIGHT?

Sure enough, it showed up, and I tore into the package like a kid on Christmas morning. Inside? A sleek, rolled-up black something. My brain immediately shouted, "Yoga mat!" I was convinced.

But my mom, ever the skeptic, had her doubts. She thought it seemed a tad small for a yoga mat and worried it might be a scam. Although I did notice it was quite smaller for a yoga mat - but maybe I ordered a smaller version?

I was unbothered. To me, it screamed "yoga mat".

So, I put it to use. Sure, it was a tad slippery, but I chalked that up to it being brand new.

It was a bit uncomfortable, but I appreciated its portability and black, sexy design.

Then, there was me, thinking about all the yoga classes and gym sessions it would accompany me to. It was going to be a game-changer!

But come Friday, as I struggled through yet another workout, it got me thinking if maybe I wasn't using it quite right. The slipping and sliding were driving me crazy, and doubts began to creep in.

Was my mom, right? Was I scammed?

Despite these suspicions, I hesitated to reach out to customer service. So, I continue on using it despite the discomfort.

Then, on Sunday, I was in front of my computer, now I'm thinking about the keyboard pad that I ordered last week - where was it?

Because I know I ordered it on the same day of my yoga mat.

And then it hit me like a ton of bricks: the "yoga mat" I'd been wrestling with all weeks - maybe it was my keyboard pad?

When I finally checked, I was shocked and burst into the heartiest laughter I'd had in the past three months, all thanks to what happened.

I'd been using it all wrong, no wonder it felt off!

It was hilarious, no doubt, but as I reflected on it, maybe this, no matter how funny it seems, is a life lesson.

I asked myself, what is this teaching me?

Here are three things that I learned from that experience:

One, remember when I said, "It was a bit uncomfortable, but I appreciated its portability and design"?

Here's the deal: When we're determined to force things into place, we tend to over compromise.

Instead of focusing on the real purpose of something, we often get caught up in seeing only the positive aspects, like portability and design in the case of the Yoga Mat. If you've ever heard of rose-colored glasses, it's this.

Think about the yoga mat. Its main job is to give support and comfort when you're working out. Sure, it's nice if it's portable and easy to carry around, but those are just extras.

Now, let's relate it to life. Compromise is key in relationships. But if we compromise too much, and look on the good side of things of a relationship, and we ignore the important stuff like trust and respect, we're setting ourselves up for letdowns later on.

It's like building a house on shaky ground—it might look good at first, but it's not sustainable in the long run.

Two, when things feel off, postponing asking for help only makes it worse. If only I had ditched my ego and looked into the customer service section—maybe I would've realized it was a Keyboard pad after all.

Three, during moments like the Yoga Mat analogy, when our gut tells us something feels odd, weird, or out of place, it might be time to step back and ask ourselves, "What is this telling me?

And that's the thing, isn't it? How many times have we tried to make something into what it's not instead of taking a step back and realize: is this really working the way it's supposed to be?

Maybe it's time to embrace things for what they are, rather than what we want them to be.

Maybe it's time to let go and allow things to take their natural course.

The more we try to force things to fit our desires, the more we find ourselves uncomfortable, unhappy, and dissatisfied.

If you've read this article up till here, I'd like you to think about how many times you've tried using a keyboard pad to be a yoga mat, well, whether in literal sense or as a lesson like what I've shared.

How did it made you feel? And now, what would you like to do after?

All I know is when I stopped forcing my keyboard pad to be a yoga mat, I felt happier and content with how fantastic my keyboard pad looks on my desktop.

Its sleek, black, and classy— and it being slippery? It's been helping my mouse to move better when I work, and I absolutely love it!

Hey there,

If you've finished this article up until here, you're awesome!

What do you think about this topic? I'd love to hear from you.

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Many thanks for your support and happy reading!

Xoxo,
Claire 😄