Have you ever had one of those days where things just don’t seem to be going the way you expected? Well let me tell ya, I seem to be having one of those WEEKS.
I can’t figure out exactly why, but maybe it’s because we are in the process of moving and our place looks like a warehouse, filled with stacked boxes, tape, and bubble wrap, that was hit by a typhoon. Couple that with all that goes along with moving (transferring bills, forwarding your address with the post office, renting a u-haul) has me feeling a bit addled.
Or is it that I’m still adjusting to having all the girls in school which has me feeling out of sorts?
With all that’s going on lately I’ve been very preoccupied – which has led to a series of minor mishaps. As a result, there is one word that has defined my week and has become a main stay in my vernacular, and that word is…WHOOPS!
Here’s a brief list of the happenings that have led to my new overused expression:
- We went out of town over the weekend and I left my cell phone charger at home. Whelp, no phone calls for me for a few days. WHOOPS!
- On the 3 hour drive back to Charlottesville, took the wrong highway, which added an additional 1 1/2 hours to the trip. WHOOPS!
- Got back and began unpacking and realized that I left my laptop charger out of town. WHOOPS!
- I was working on a blog post and pushed the “Publish” button instead of “Save Draft”, and accidentally posted an unfinished piece that was totally not ready for public consumption. WHOOPS!
It’s all so annoying, frustrating, inconvenient, and unpleasant when this stuff happens to us. Those times when we don’t get what we want or things don’t go our way.
And here I sit typing this post on an IPad that belongs to one my girls because without my power cord, the battery on my laptop died days ago, which is an awkward nuisance and disruption to my routine.
I guess I could sulk around, cursing the heavens, while wondering, “why is all of this happening to me right now?” Or, I could choose to put all of these worries into perspective.
I’m quickly reminded of the poem by Michelle Sedas entitled, Welcome The Rain:
As the first raindrops fall to the ground
A businessman lets out an angry sigh.
Knowing traffic will be slow he thinks,
Why me? Why today? Just tell me why!
Outside of town, a farmer scans the horizon
As the storm clouds begin to roll in.
With joy and celebration he calls out,
We are blessed! At last, this drought will end!
In every life storms will come:
Adversity, Inconvenience, or Pain.
Only we can choose how we respond:
To be overwhelmed or to
Welcome The Rain.
When we are in the midst of our troubles it’s difficult to conceive that when these storms roll into our lives, they could be designed to make us stronger. These tough times never last, and if we gain nothing, hopefully we understand that they may serve to remind us that we’ve survived them before. And by going through it, we have greater empathy for others who may also be struggling.
MB
I hope life has simmered down by now Marc. Smooches.