It's a glorious day. The weather couldn't be better, especially here, especially for this time of year. Hubby and I had planned to spend some time together this afternoon while the kids went and did something else together.
But the plans fell through; one child assumed the other would like to do something specific and it didn't work out that way - yet tickets had already been purchased. My husband - gallant man that he is, agreed to use that non-refundable ticket. Which leaves me without my planned (and anticipated) afternoon with just him.
Even a couple of years ago, that change in plan would have been way too much for me to take. I am naturally the kind of person that has to have things planned out several days in advance and things have to follow a certain pre-set itinerary; deviation from that normally sends me into a tailspin.
But I've been learning much about acceptance, about unhooking from what I want and focusing on WHY things happen (in other words, the purpose for a particular activity) and on WHAT is really important. So while I was disappointed at not being able to spend that particular time with my spouse, I was able to unhook and understand that our daughter spending some time with her dad was going to pay dividends long into the future, and that one of the errands that my husband and I were going to do together as a couple (and it had to be done during that exact time period) could almost as easily be done by me. Not as much fun, but there you go. I realized that no one person actually stayed up late and schemed over how to mess up Judy's day. The plan just changed, that's all.
And I didn't get freaked out (read: afraid) or angry. That amazes me.
Someone I consider very wise said once, "Don't let a bad moment turn into a bad day." That saying has come to my rescue many more times than I thought possible - and I expect it will in the future, too.
A lot of my time has been spent lately in the negative spiral thinking pattern I mentioned briefly above (the plotting-to-wreck-Judy's-day thing) - not actually consciously thinking it of course, but half-expecting people to treat me like that because I felt that I had this thick black cloud over my head with lightning and rain coming down from it. But most people don't actually do that (and if they do, that's THEIR problem!) - my life isn't cursed, and people can like me for who and what I am. Allowing myself to unclench, to loosen up, to breathe, to relax and enjoy the moments as they come without fretting about what's going to hit me next, and without punishing myself for what's past, has been a valuable skill in the last few weeks especially. Plus, it's helped me (after a bit of a bumpy start) to begin to cope with some pretty major changes in some parts of my life.
A change in plan doesn't mean that things have to come to a screeching halt or even go backward. It just means a bend in the road - even though I can't see what's ahead, I know Someone's passed this way before and knows the way. And I'll be okay.
:D
But the plans fell through; one child assumed the other would like to do something specific and it didn't work out that way - yet tickets had already been purchased. My husband - gallant man that he is, agreed to use that non-refundable ticket. Which leaves me without my planned (and anticipated) afternoon with just him.
Even a couple of years ago, that change in plan would have been way too much for me to take. I am naturally the kind of person that has to have things planned out several days in advance and things have to follow a certain pre-set itinerary; deviation from that normally sends me into a tailspin.
And I didn't get freaked out (read: afraid) or angry. That amazes me.
Someone I consider very wise said once, "Don't let a bad moment turn into a bad day." That saying has come to my rescue many more times than I thought possible - and I expect it will in the future, too.
A lot of my time has been spent lately in the negative spiral thinking pattern I mentioned briefly above (the plotting-to-wreck-Judy's-day thing) - not actually consciously thinking it of course, but half-expecting people to treat me like that because I felt that I had this thick black cloud over my head with lightning and rain coming down from it. But most people don't actually do that (and if they do, that's THEIR problem!) - my life isn't cursed, and people can like me for who and what I am. Allowing myself to unclench, to loosen up, to breathe, to relax and enjoy the moments as they come without fretting about what's going to hit me next, and without punishing myself for what's past, has been a valuable skill in the last few weeks especially. Plus, it's helped me (after a bit of a bumpy start) to begin to cope with some pretty major changes in some parts of my life.
A change in plan doesn't mean that things have to come to a screeching halt or even go backward. It just means a bend in the road - even though I can't see what's ahead, I know Someone's passed this way before and knows the way. And I'll be okay.
:D
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