I was introduced to Tzu Chi by my friend and colleague in my science department, Nelly Tsai. She is also a Tzu Chi commissioner and my mentor when it comes to the work and philosophy of the foundation. In fact, I joined Tzu Chi because of how well she represented the spirit of Master Cheng Yen and Tzu Chi in every aspect of her life.

One afternoon, Nelly and I were talking about having to spend our own money on school supplies. Having to chip in and purchase supplies out of our own pocket is not uncommon. It seems incredible, but the amount of money we are allotted per student is about $1.80 per year! Given that meager amount, it shouldn't be surprising that we often buy supplies for our lab classes with our own money.

In the course of our conversation, Nelly said, "You know, I don't mind spending money on students. Money doesn't really belong to me...It comes and goes, and I just help direct it. I have everything I need. If I spend money on something worthwhile, I can feel good about where it goes."

Well, that got me to thinking. "Money doesn't really belong to me... It comes and it goes, and I just help direct it." I thought that simple statement was very wise. So, I tucked that thought away in my heart and decided to be more mindful of the money that I made, spent, and saved.

Early the next morning, a Saturday, I awoke and prepared to take my dog for his morning walk. As soon as I stepped into the garage from my house, I heard a very strange noise from the water heater. I retrieved a flashlight, looked underneath, and saw that the water heater was leaking a stream of water about the diameter of a pencil. Furthermore, the water input line kept filling the water heater as fast as it ran out! There was already a puddle of water around the bottom of the water heater, growing larger by the second as I watched and wondered just what had happened.

Despite the early hour, I kept my wits and reacted fairly quickly. First, I shut off the natural gas, and then the water. Next, I connected a hose to the water heater and quickly drained out the remaining water into the street. All of that took only a minute or two. Thank goodness the plumber I called was willing to work on a Saturday. He arrived 30 minutes after I called, and was able to replace the water heater with a new one then and there. (I can assure you, I felt pretty lucky. I was wondering which neighbor we would call upon to use their shower that day!)

The bill for the new water heater and installation was $1,560. Here it was, before nine on a Saturday morning, and I had already spent over fifteen hundred dollars. This was certainly not one of my typical Saturday mornings!

But can you guess my feeling at that time? Pure happiness! That's right. Not only was I happy to write the check to the plumber and pay him, but I was so eager to do so that he had to tell me to put the checkbook away and wait until the work was actually finished! I wanted to pay him even before he had removed his tools from his truck. No, I'm not crazy. I just kept thinking about what Nelly had said the day before: "Money doesn't really belong to me... It comes and it goes, and I just help direct it." In my mind, this situation was a perfect opportunity to show that money didn't have control of my heart.

That morning, as I sat across the table from the plumber, receiving the repair estimate, I remembered one of my favorite Still Thoughts aphorisms from Master Cheng Yen: "If a smile and a frown are both possible, why not choose a smile?" Therefore, instead of being upset that I had to spend so much money, I decided to find and focus on all the positive things that were happening that morning. In short, I chose to smile in the circumstances instead of frowning. And do you know what? To my surprise, I kept discovering blessing after blessing hidden within the whole experience! I'd like to share some of my "blessings from a broken water heater" with you. Maybe my experience can open your eyes to the blessings that surround you as well, even in the midst of misfortune.

Blessing #1: I think that, based upon the size of the puddle, I must have walked into the garage within just a few minutes after the leak started. What if the leak had started in the middle of the night? My whole garage would have been flooded, and the water damage might have been much worse. What if the water heater had blown while my wife and I were away at work--or worse, on vacation?!? What if the water heater had been located in our closet instead of the garage? It might have flooded our house and ruined our hardwood floor and everything in the closet. If the water heater had to die, it was a blessing it broke when it did, where it did.　

Blessing #2: It was me that discovered the leak, not my wife. Although my wife is smarter than me in almost every respect, this time I had the presence of mind to know exactly what to do without panicking. Had my wife discovered the water heater leak, she likely would have panicked and would not have known the steps to take to minimize the damage.　

Blessing #3: The plumber told me that the normal life for my water heater was about 10 to 12 years. My water heater was 15 or 16 years old, so I had really gotten more life from it than expected. How can I complain about an old water heater lasting three to five more years than expected?　

Blessing #4: The money I paid to the plumber will help support him, his family, and his business. Sitting in my bank account, that $1,560 was doing NOTHING good! Now, the money is out and about, bringing goods and services to other people. The money that used to be mine now can be used to help other people!

Blessing #5: The new water heater is more energy efficient, saving natural gas and fuel expenses in the long run. Using the earth's natural resources more wisely appeals to me on many levels, including Master Cheng Yen's encouragement to respect the earth and the environment. This is truly a blessing.　

Blessing #6: The new water heater will work better than the old one, with a quicker recovery time. This means it will make hot water faster when we use it, so no more cold showers after the kids!　

Blessing #7: The new water heater has many safety features that the old one did not have, reducing the chance of a fire, explosion, or broken pipe. Maybe the new safety features will avoid a terrible accident that might have happened otherwise.　

Blessing #8: Spending that amount of money unexpectedly reminds me how important it is to plan for the unexpected accident and to use what money I have wisely. I will be less likely to waste money on "frivolous" things if I remember this incident.　

Blessing #9: The whole experience confirms Nelly's wise observation that "Money comes and money goes," and it helps me to not become attached to the money in my bank account.　

Blessing #10: The experience allows me to share with you all of the above blessings. This account has become a vehicle by which you might also be encouraged or inspired to look for the blessings in your own life. In the end, this may be the most significant blessing of all. Like a stone dropped into a still pond, the ripples of this experience may continue to spread long after the experience itself is over.　

So, what at first seemed to be a terrible bit of misfortune for a Saturday morning turned out to contain so many blessings that I couldn't help but overflow with joy and happiness! I may be $1,560 poorer than I was when I woke up that morning, but I am so much richer within! It is as if a whole garden of blessings bloomed before my eyes, and it only cost me $1,560 for the experience. That's pretty cheap, if you ask me.

Whenever anything "bad" or "unfortunate" happens to me, I always stop to look for the hidden blessings. Without fail, I usually discover far more than I ever expected to find. It makes me wonder if the "unfortunate" things in life are really life's blessings! I share this story with you, dear reader, so that if your water heater breaks, or your oven stops working, or your car needs a new fan belt, or whatever...you'll remember my story, and remember to look for the hidden blessings that exist around you all the time.　

And remember the Master's words: "If a smile and a frown are both possible, why not smile?"