David Corbin - From WTF to OMG, with a Little LOL

From WTF

to OMG

With a little LOL

DAVID CORBIN

KERRY JACOBSON

From WTF to OMG

With a little LOL

Unpacking Lifes Hidden Lessons

David Corbin and Kerry Jacobson

Copyright 2022

ISBN 979-8-9865632-1-3

Sigma Press

All rights reserved. No part of this book can be copied in any format, electronically, digitally, or otherwise, without consent of the publisher.

The content of this book is for informational purposes only. Neither the authors nor the publisher are liable for any damages whatsoever stemming from the content herein.

Printed in the United States of America

FEATURED AUTHORS

Contents

INTRODUCTION

David M. Corbin

WTF?

What the Fudge?

What the Fertilizer?

You know what we mean when we ask, What the F is going on here?

The potty mouth F word can be substituted with many other adjectives, yet everyone knows what the F youre talking about.

And the W word? Well, as you can see, its WHAT the F? In this book, we invite you to consider that the W also stands for WHY. WHY the F? Its a question, an inquiry, a search.

And thats really what this book is about. Its about asking your higher power, or the Universe, or God, or Vortex, or some such higher energetic power the WHAT and WHY about the crappy situation at hand; you know, specifically any situation that is painful, problematic, scary, and sometimes traumatic where you instinctively say or think WTF?

We all have situations like this. Most of the time, we process them through the gristmill of our life, and then we just move on. Some situations take longer to get through than others. Some seem to never be resolved. Yet our research reveals that most of these situations tend to harbor within them a significant gift or lesson for us, a learning and sometimes even a profound transformation opportunity. But we also discovered that most people sure as hell didnt hold that positive expectation while in the midst of it because, as they tell us, they felt various degrees of the S word: SUCK.

Happily, however, these situations seem to show up in our lives to instruct us on our path and not to obstruct us.

Over the past four years, weve asked literally hundreds of individuals about their experiences with this process, and most say that they have had many, many such WTF experiences only to realize at some point in the future, OMG-that happened for a reason, or I never would have _______ (grown, achieved, realized, learned, created) ________ if not for that crappy experience. In other words, each situation that was WTF? actually had an embedded OMG! lesson or gift. And so often we heard the glorious LOL, that chuckle that comes with realizing that, for any number of reasons, we almost missed discovering and receiving the gift. Or the LOL because we are so loved and supported by those higher forces. From WTF? To OMG! With some LOL!!! You got it.

As you think about some of your personal WTF to OMG stories, we invite you to read some of ours: stories about being stuck in space, literally, or about living through a stroke only to discover an unrelated and potentially fatal brain aneurism, a speaker and writer told he can no longer speak or hold a pen, a story by an Olympian who was totally freaked out, and another story about losing a business but gaining a life. Theres even one about living with Elvis at Graceland and many more in which the author, like you, walked through the valley of darkness and came out of it with significant illumination and often profound lessons that they unpacked. Unpacked? Yes, they consciously or unconsciously searched for and discovered their lesson. And most of them expressed to us that they wish that they had assumed, in real time, during the shitstorm, that there was an embedded lessonthat they would have compressed the timeline to that lesson realization. They tell us that they now expect the gift within.

Heres some of the rhetoric around this topic and, frankly, its germane.

The paranoid believes that the world conspires to hurt them.

The INVERSE paranoid believes that the world conspires to help themthus they instinctively believe that the painful experience is part of the process of the world conspiring to help them, and they immediately begin the process of unpacking just how it is going to bless them.

Heres some more.

You remember that story about the optimistic childthe one who expects the best in all thingsand when confronted with a huge pile of poop, says, Well, theres got to be a pony in there somewhere!

Oh, and heres another. You may have heard this one from a pretty well-known book where it is written, Seek and ye shall find, ask and you will receive, knock and the door shall be opened.

Got it?

Yeah, you got it.

So, after reading the many stories in this book, it is the intent of all of the contributing story authors that you know, really know, to remain open to and begin to unpack the hidden lessons within, which is also this books subtitle.

We, Kerry Jacobson and David Corbin, had the honor of curating these stories. Most of the authors are friends, colleagues, or at least acquaintances. It came as no surprise to us that each had many of these WTF to OMG stories to choose from. It was a trip to try to select the one story that really blessed their lives because there were so many. David and the authors discussed them on Zoom and when the time was right, pressed the record button. Then the recording went to Patti McKenna, writer extraordinaire, who wrote each story in a way and manner that speaks it most effectively and voila.

We hope you catch yourself wondering WTF? as you read along, and then find yourself saying OMG! when the not-so-obvious gift comes to light and leaves you in awe. You might even LOL a little. We know we did.

Enjoy.

SWIMMING WITH A COW

Granted, to most people, standing in an open rice field while war planes are flying overhead would be considered a bad day. Sure, it's not like most people's typical bad days, but at that time in my life, it was typical enough that I knew what was happening and what I needed to do, even at a very young age. Weve all had bad days. You know the type. You wake up late, spill coffee on your favorite shirt, get stuck in traffic, or drop your iPhone and crack the screen. I have those days, too. But when I do, I step back and realize that they are just inconveniencessmall, insignificant events that only have the power to wreck my day if I let them. In the grand scheme of the vast universe, they are just a grain of sand among the things that will shape our lives.

Everyone has had experiences that transform their livesthings that actually shape much more than how we view our day, but instead, provide us with a different perspective on life. My childhood provided me with many such experiences, and although they weren't anything I'd actually wish for, I wouldn't trade any of them for a different life. The lessons I learned through those experiences have, in fact, led me to the life I live todaya big life full of gratitude, joy, happiness, prosperity, and health.

I think our perspective on life is modeled from our experiences. What may seem trivial and unimportant to some may seem monumental and catastrophic to others, depending on their previous experiences and life circumstances. A person who has had an easy life might be devastated when their bank account falls below six figures, while a person who has had hardships might feel grateful to be able to pay their bills. It's all about perspective, which comes from life lessons.

My first lesson actually came at a very young age. I was five years old and carrying out one of my tasks. In Communist controlled Cambodia, children were expected to do chores, not just at home, but for the government. One of my "jobs" was to bring the cows to their grassy feed area.