Look closely, that inconvenience could be a gift.
I was out walking on a golf course in beautiful Palm Springs, California and I came across a spot in the path where the sprinkler was shooting a giant spray of water right into the path where I was trying to go. I was dismayed to say the least, not wanting to get wet, and I griped and grumbled about the stupid sprinkler watering the sidewalk and paused at the edge of the wetness.
I saw that it was dry to the left of the path where I could sneak around the spray of the water and not get drenched on my way. I left the path, skirting the spray, feeling the soft dirt soil my clean sneakers. I continued my grunting and groaning.
“This is NOT how I wanted to DO THIS!” positive this was going to soil my shoes and my mood for the rest of the day
(I know, I know…in hindsight, it was a really ridiculous thing to have any kind of frustration about, but isn’t that how life goes? Sometimes the dumbest thing can completely knock you off your cheerful parade float into a mud puddle for the rest of the day!)
As I was stomping and moaning for the 100-foot detour, I noticed a hidden vine with a beautiful and HUGE white morning glory that was absolutely stunning! I stopped and stood there in the mist of the spray, suddenly glad for the detour because otherwise I wouldn’t have seen that flower.
It happened to me another time when I was in New York City. I was on the subway heading to go pick up my brother at Newark airport and I got distracted and missed my stop. I got off at the next stop, angry with myself, griping and groaning at myself (It’s a habit I guess) and worried I was going to be late to pick up my brother who I was very very excited to see.
As I quickly walked through the subway station to retrace my steps and go back to the previous stop, I passed a group of kids singing. It was a high school choir and the energy and joy and musicality coming out of those kids was so amazing and so uplifting and so wonderfully life affirming that all of a sudden, I stopped my grunting and moaning, and I was so glad that I had missed my stop. Had I not ended up on that detour I would’ve missed that heartwarming choir that years later, still makes me smile just thinking about it.
So next time life hands you a bit of an annoying, inconvenient detour that wasn’t quite in your plan, look around. There may be a treasure waiting for you.
Go get ‘em Tiger!
