Focus on what you can control - your perspective and mindset matter!
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Focus on what you can control!
There were circumstances that we could not control, and the story is incomplete without sharing how we approached what was within our control. And, that made all of the difference.
Perspective and mindset are so important. This weekend I was so grateful for my regular meditation, gratitude, and mindfulness practice. It helped me get through a crazy trip with unexpected challenges.
My college friends and I flew to Florida for our annual trip. Every October or November we travel somewhere warm for 3-4 days to connect, relax, re-set, and enjoy each other’s company. Every year we’ve been blessed with beautiful weather, great accommodations, and what we wanted and expected - until now.
This year, we’ve decided this trip was memorable because much of it was the opposite of what we expected.
My flight in on Thursday was rough and bumpy as we headed into a storm going into Tampa airport, then back out of the storm heading back north when we were told we couldn’t land. My flight was then diverted to Orlando to wait until Tampa airport was re-opened after the hurricane warning was lifted.
My friends from Chicago were diverted to Ft. Myers airport, further into the storm, and had to de-plane for several hours. Needless to say when we arrived we were all hungry, exhausted, and disappointed at losing an entire day.
Friday we were excited to start our day. We started with a brisk walk on the beach eating sand that was flying into our faces the entire time. We were looking forward to sitting by the pool, but the pool was closed due to 45 miles per/hour winds. We walked from hotel to hotel trying to buy day passes for any pool that happened to be open with no luck.
When our hotel pool was finally open, we found a 30 feet square of sunshine and moved 5 chairs to that area hoping to warm up. The rains started in less than 2 hours and we were inside for the rest of the afternoon.
These were all circumstances that we could not control, and the story is incomplete without sharing what we focused on that was within our control. And, that made all of the difference.
Thursday night we went to our hotel restaurant and had a delicious meal, sampled great foods, kept the cocktails coming, and laughed for hours. We toasted with some champagne to our 30+ year friendship, and kept the conversations going in our suite until we were ready for bed.
Friday when the rain kept us inside, we huddled together and watched TV, ate snacks, and got ready for dinner. We celebrated our friend Lisa’s 50th birthday by opening gifts in our room, gifting her with a tiara and sash to wear, and walking in the rain to dinner. At dinner we shared food, talked about our bucket lists, next chapters, and where we wanted to vacation next year.
Saturday turned out to be a sunny day where we went for a long walk exploring the island, ate a leisurely breakfast, sat by the pool, enjoyed some beach time, and walked to a local restaurant to watch the OSU game. That night we stayed up late and laughed about the inconveniences of the past few days.
I left last on Sunday, which is never as fun as being the first to arrive. My direct flight turned into a travel day of 11 hours for me. Instead of getting worked up, or complaining, I meditated, read, ate by myself, journaled, reflected on my trip, watched a TV show on my phone, and accepted my circumstances as they were.
The most vivid memories are those that are sometimes challenging, not according to our plan, and that sometimes make us crazy. Of all of our trips, this will be the most memorable, not because of where we ate, or places we visited, but because together we dealt with every challenge with laughter, optimism, and gratitude.