Have you ever had a day knock you to your knees, shock you or scare the heck out of you?  I had one of these days last week.

It felt like any normal Tuesday.   (Except, I began this one listening to my newest guided meditation audio, My Morning Ritual and I had just declared: “Today is going to be great day.“)

I made the kid’s lunches, dropped them off at elementary + pre-school and still made it to my 8:30 a.m. workout class in time to get my favorite spot at the barre.  Half way through lunges, the instructor came up to me, leaned in close to my ear and said, “Your husband just called here + said it’s an emergency.”

My brain raced as I rushed to the car.  Is it the kids?  Did someone fall?  What happened?  He answers the phone + tells me he’s on the floor in the bathroom in a lot of pain + that he needs my help.

To see my 6’3,” 190-pound, fit husband (who surfs 3-5 days a week) lay on the floor in so much pain definitely scared the crap out of me.  Not knowing what was wrong, and having no ability to guess, I said, “Let’s get you to the emergency room.”

As we walked out of our house, Josh fell to his knees on the front lawn and vomited from the pain.  He said he wanted to lay down in the back of the car, and it was in that moment, I just stopped,  listened to my gut + decided instantly, I can’t do this alone, I need help.  I called 911.

Within minutes, a fire truck, ambulance + paramedic van pulled up + I stood back as they calmly helped my husband onto a stretcher.

All time stopped in that moment.  Just an hour ago I was kissing my boys goodbye + now my husband is being wheeled into an ambulance.

As I followed the paramedics to the ER, I wanted to destroy the audio I had just listened to and not send it to the 100+ Spotlight Club members – a group of amazing actors – who were expecting to receive their new mp3 on the first of October.

I had just declared that TODAY was going to be a great day – and THIS is what I get!?  My Morning Ritual clearly was NOT working…at all!

I was mad, scared, frustrated, shocked and filled with anxiety.

Luckily, calling 911 was the best thing I could have done.

Josh got wheeled into the ER right away, was seen by a doctor immediately + got hooked up to some pain medication.

I sat with him for what seemed like hours, holding his hand while his body shook and the medicine finally kicked in, as we waited for test results to tell us exactly what was wrong.

I realized in that moment how easily we take our health for granted + how your world stops when something happens to someone you love.

The CT scan results came back + we were happy (mostly) to discover it was a kidney stone that was causing him the pain + that it had passed through his kidneys (in the last few hours) and was small enough for us to go home, no surgery required.

I wheel-chaired my husband to the car, got him comfortable at home in bed, ran to the pharmacy, gave him the doctor’s prescriptions, and made it in time to pick up the kids from both schools.

They each greeted me as if it was a great day.  And, in many miraculous ways, it was: they had witnessed none of what had happened + Josh was going to be okay.

As I lay in bed that evening, next to my warrior of a husband who was now sound asleep, I realized, that maybe My Morning Ritual set me up perfectly for this day – to be present, to be mindful, to be unconditionally patient (which didn’t always work while waiting for CT scan results, but I tried.), to listen to my instincts, to make bold choices + to ask for help when I need it.

In fact, almost every lesson I learned ironically seemed to mirror those found while surfing.  Events in life are like sets of waves on the ocean.  Some blindside you without warning + others give you an amazing long + beautiful joyride.

But there’s no ride that lasts forever.  You always have to paddle out again to catch another good moment.  You have to begin again, every single time, and as you do, you might get knocked underwater….again.

As long as you come up for air when the waves knock you down and stop to look around you, rediscovering the beauty in your world, you can find the joy again.

I guess in some ways, My Morning Ritual helped save me that day, not from coming undone, getting knocked to my knees or crying in a heap (which I did a few times), but at the end, made me realize that it was, in fact, a great day, knowing that my entire family, who I love more than anything in the world, was all sleeping soundly.

Having a spiritual practice won’t keep you from experiencing life’s low points, but it may help you to ride life’s waves a little easier.

Here’s to having a morning practice that sets you up to handle anything life throws your way.