Our Busy Weekend Was Out the Window: Was I Going to Feel Upset?

We had a busy weekend planned. My sister-in-law was staying overnight on her way home from a long trip. She lives 7 hours away, so we don’t get to see her that often. My daughter had a piano festival event, and she had been practicing hard to play for the judge. Then we also were having company over for dinner. I had recently met Nancy through our networks and we totally connected. We had struggled to find a time for our families to meet and this was finally the weekend it would happen. I couldn’t wait! And it was going to be one of the first warm and sunny spring weekends. Woohoo!

Then at about 4 am on Sat morning, my 13-year-old daughter woke up and told me she didn’t feel well. It turned out that this was the beginning of a 24-hour stomach flu. She was down and out, totally miserable. There went our plans. My first priority was to take care of my daughter and try to make her comfortable.

I realized I had a decision to make. Was I going to feel upset or sad because our plans were out the window? Or was I going to accept that “it is what it is?” Or maybe there was even something good that came out of the change in plans. I felt grateful that I was home to take care of my sick daughter and that she wanted me there. It was a bonding experience, even though it wasn’t fun.

Sometimes it’s hard to remember that we have a choice. We may feel we have every right to be upset, or sad, or even angry. It can be challenging to see past our initial reaction. This week, look for opportunities to remember that you can decide how you feel and respond when things don’t go the way you planned.