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When Life Throws You a Curve Ball

Eleven days ago I found out what it’s like when life throws you a curve ball.

Sometimes planning doesn’t pan out

I was poised to leave for a 7 day trip to Australia. Months earlier I had registered for a Women’s Retreat hosted by my Reiki Teacher, Bronwen, in the Blue Mountains north of Sidney. This was my second trip to the same location and I was planning smarter this time. I bought noise reduction headphones to better enjoy the 16 hour trip from San Francisco to Sidney.

I had acquired an international driving license to try my hand at English style driving. All my clothes were gathered together in my closet, carefully planned to deal with the Spring Down Under.

Then the email notification pops up

Less than 24 hours before my drive to the airport, I received an email that the Women’s Retreat had been cancelled.

“Oh no!” I gasped.

The email also offered personal instruction if I still wanted to travel across the globe. My first reaction was absolutely, I’m still going. The next morning when I awoke with a start at 3 am, I realized it was foolish to stay the course. At precisely 3:33 am, I sent an email to Bronwen that I wasn’t coming after all.

What now?

An entire week lay before me with no appointments, no obligations, totally available for spontaneity. What did I do?

Everyday I spent time in solitude and meditation. I also called my trainer to include healthy exercise. I walked at Bok Tower Gardens every other day. The result was a realization how much I’d been neglecting my own needs.

Lessons Learned

Next time when life throws you a curve ball, embrace the possibilities that have just opened up for you. Go with the flow. Practice gratitude every morning and every evening. And always buy travel insurance.

Black Friday or Abs Friday

Is this Black Friday or Abs Friday for you? I’ll confess that in my 65 years, I’ve ventured out to shop on Black Friday two times. That’s right two times. The fact I went a second time indicates I was coerced.

Routine Wins the Race

However, exercise is something I’ve enjoyed my whole life. Yet it is still easy to place it way down the list when prioritizing. Adding routine to an exercise program really helps though. And Friday is Abs Friday in my life.

Perfection is Not Attainable

I’ve accepted that perfection is not attainable…for me. When I miss an exercise day I’ve developed a few tricks to keep me on track.

  1. Add exercise to your other activities, like parking in the farthest parking space.
  2. Make exercise fun by finding what brings you joy while increasing your heart rate.
  3. Most importantly, forgive yourself.
  4. Tomorrow, a new day dawns

Get Out There

So whether Black Friday or Abs Friday is your thing, get moving!

Thanks for taking time to read my blog. Do you want to see me in person? I’ll be at Bok Tower Gardens on December 15, 2019 for an afternoon Introduction to Japanese Meditation. Click here to learn more and register!

Dawn

How to Host the Imperfect Thanksgiving

Are you the one who hosts Thanksgiving in your family? If yes, I’ll bet you share my knowledge of how to host the imperfect Thanksgiving.

Siblings and Planning

My sister, Lila, and I were texting during the initial planning.

“Your house or mine?” I ask.
“It doesn’t matter to me but you hosted last year.”
“I’ll do it again so the dogs won’t be alone all day,” I reply.
“Okay.”

Hunt for Obscure Recipes

Do furry animals color your decisions? They sure do mine. But anyway… The next communication with my sister was looking for a cranberry chutney our mother used to make. Mom is 91, lives with me and visits Lila occasionally. She doesn’t take a lot of interest in the menu at home, but a few days ago she mentioned the cranberry chutney she used to take pride in making every Thanksgiving. It’s very unusual and since I’m a super traditionalist for Thanksgiving, I don’t care for it.

Sure enough, Lila had Mom’s giant recipe file, and she emailed me the recipe. Just reading some of the ingredients was enough to make me shake my head; onion, vinegar, curry, and mace, oh my!

Email Communication Hiccups

At the end of the recipe email, my sister wrote, “I am bringing a pecan and pumpkin pie. If Wayne (my husband) wants pumpkin, I’ll bring that too.”

Do you forget to read all the words in an email, once you’ve read the part you are looking for? I do…. sometimes.

I noticed pecan and added “pie” after it. That left pumpkin pie. It was obvious to me two pies were coming with my sister and brother-in-law; one pecan pie and one pumpkin pie.

That’s exactly what I wanted since pecan pie is my favorite. Six email replies later, I realized she wanted to make one pie that was a combination of pecan and pumpkin. This seems understandable, since I’ve eaten the pecan-pumpkin pie before and should have realized what she meant.

Planning Outcome

Although I really wanted a pecan pie, in the end I acquiesced. After all the back and forth, there will be a pecan-pumpkin pie and a traditional pumpkin pie on the dessert menu. At least I think that’s right..

And don’t tell anyone, but I’m going to make a pecan pie either before Thanksgiving or after. Hey! It’s my favorite!

Here’s hoping this blog helped you learn how to host an imperfect Thanksgiving!

Cheers!
Dawn