So we’re now a couple weeks into our hodge-podge summer schedule. So far, not bad. But I’ve found flexibility to be a necessary character trait for success. As lovely of a plan as it is {visual: me patting myself on the back}, not everything has gone to plan. Illness, forgotten doctor appointments, and miscommunication have wrecked moderate havoc on my schedule, but nothing we can’t work through.
Today was one of those “amateur hour” days. I dropped the kids off at camp, only to be told that camp ends at noon rather than 3pm today. Huh? Seriously? I was not called with this valuable information prior to drop off. No worries, I told myself as I shifted my day around to accommodate. “Think flexible thoughts” I repeated to myself. I had nothing to gain by venting, so I let it roll off my back. Yea, life is a little messy sometimes.
So I drive back at noon, only to be surprised with the news that it’s back on til 3pm again. Apparently my daughter had called me, but I didn’t get the voice mail. So I had one of two choices: 1) take them home there and then (not the popular choice for the kids), or 2) schlep back again at 3pm.
I opted for the schlepping option since I have more work to do and didn’t want the kids to hate me. When I got home, I checked my messages. While the info part of my phone didn’t alert me that I had a new message, when I dialed in, sure enough…there it was. Hmmm, wonder how many other calls I may miss by depending on that part of my phone’s feature!
At the end of the day, the kids had a good time and I still got some work done. And because I didn’t waste any energy on anger, I’m actually not stressed out about it.
Next time something “unfair” happens to you, rather than venting and stating your rights, try letting it roll off your back. Sort of a pay-it-forward forgiveness concept.
