Love Letter #10~When Things Don’t Go as Planned

Dear Self,

Yesterday, I had a wonderful day planned.  I was packed and ready to go to a meeting that was about 30 minutes away.  There are many ways to get this location, and since I had quite a bit of time on my hands, I decided to take the long scenic route.  I thought I’d get there before everyone else and enjoy a quiet cup of coffee until everyone arrived.

Well, about 10 minutes of driving along the back road, I heard a weird sound.  I thought it was the gravel in the road, but the rhythmic noise kept getting louder.  So, I pulled over and checked my tires.  Yep, a flat tire.  Mind you, I keep up the maintenance on my vehicle and was puzzled why the tire went flat when I bought new ones earlier in the year.  Needless to say, I had to call roadside service.

 While waiting for the tow truck to arrive, I texted a few group members, explained the situation and told them I would be late.  I was late, but that’s not the focus.  The interesting thing about this whole situation was that I wasn ‘t upset.  If this had happened to me a few years ago, I would have been royally upset.  I’ve learned that when things don’t go as planned, there’s a reason.

When plans fall through, I’ve learned to accept it and look for the opportunity. Like in the aforementioned scenario, sitting in the tire store waiting to be serviced gave me the opportunity to make calls, clear my emails, and work on an overdue project.  An alternative was to sit there impatiently and fret.

Other times, when things don’t go as planned, I learned that it was for my own good.  Like, the other day when I missed my exit.  I later learned I had avoided a severe accident that occurred on my regular route, which would have had me sitting in traffic for an extended length of time.

Still, other situations when things don’t go as planned, I am forced to be creative and make changes on the fly. Like when I was scheduled to speak at an event and left my cue cards at home.  Sometimes, the pivot leads to a better result than I originally anticipated.  But, no matter the outcome, the task gets done.

At times I wonder why I’m being challenged.  But I remind myself not get upset.  There is more than one path to my goal, and the first way may not be the best route.  So, I just roll with the punches. “Go with the flow,” as they say.    Everything will work out just the way it should.  And, it does.

I wonder how other people cope when things don’t turn out the way they were planned.  Do they get upset?   Do they place blame on someone or something?  Do they look for the hidden opportunity, for example,  the gift of time, or the chance to be creative?  Do they find a way to overcome the inconvenience and keep moving forward?

Anyway, even though I don’t like when my plans are uprooted, I know there’s a reason.  And, that reason is in my best interest.

Thank you, Self, for helping me realize this.

Fondly,

Self