A Flat Tire Doesn't Have to Suck the Air Out of Your Day

My day had gone so very well, and I was really looking forward to a small dinner party, in a lovely home, with interesting, accomplished women.  And when the air went suddenly out of my tire, on the way to the party, I chose not to let this suck the air out of an otherwise great day.  Yes, I was disappointed, frustrated and inconvenienced.  Yet, as I've been doing, I chose to put it in perspective and focus on the positives of a negative situation.

Positives:

• I stopped for gas seconds after I drove over whatever obstacle damaged my tire, and discovered the problem.  This was a low speed road hazard incident with no loss of vehicle control or wheel damage, and the car had not yet even exhibited flat tire symptoms.  Had I stopped for gas, as intended, earlier  in the day, the situation would have been far worse.
• It was daylight, in somewhat familiar territory, and my vehicle's roadside assistance was a phone call away.
• The dinner party wasn't at my home.

Lessons reinforced:

• Patience
• Flexibility
• Gratitude
• Some things can't be controlled
• There are so many lovely, skilled people willing to assist us when we acknowledge their talents.

When bad things happen we can choose to be victims or victorious.  Victorious feels a million times better!

It Takes Time

As I was enjoying my run this morning, I realized that only by taking the necessary time to heal from an injury was pain-free running possible.  It's hard to be patient in our 24 x 7 x 365 instant gratification world.  But some things just take time.

Find It!

One of our Christmas presents is a family game, Find It!  It's a self-contained scavenger hunt concealing 47 different objects.  As promised, it enterained all ages for days.  And it is a reminder that we don't always see the things we know are there.  It encourages patience, persistence, experimenting with different techniques and the pursuit of group goals.

Rain

A rainy morning wasn't what we expected as we rose to fish on Saturday morning. We'd traveled five hours to enjoy a holiday weekend filled with fun, food and fishing. My husband and son are avid anglers, so weather adjustments are something they deal with frequently. Since I'm not much of an outdoorsman, weather doesn't usually alter my plans. I was ready to catch fish.

Contingency planning is as important for leisure activities as for work. The fishermen in my life continue to model patience for me. Finally got to enjoy that new novel. And when the rain stopped, the fishing began.