Manage the Unexpected.

There are days when I am convinced that I am the star of a sitcom designed for God's entertainment.

One night, as I hurriedly prepared to leave for a class, I decided to polish my shoes. I was standing near the door of my apartment, holding one of the dull shoes in one hand and the shiny black polish in the other. As I pressed the bottle of polish to the shoe, the polish began to run right as my dog, Rupert, began to run across my path. Naturally, his timing was impeccable. Not only did he now have black polish in his white Maltese coat, but he managed to step in the newly created puddle that was now on the floor. Startled by the unexpected events and my resulting gasps, he decided to make a run for it (with black polish tracks marking his every move). I grabbed Rupert and begin to fantasize about the ability to remove the polish from his coat with some wipes of a wet cloth (all before my ride arrived to take me to class). The wet cloth successfully spread the polish around; there was no turning back. As I mouthed a number of obscenities about my plight, the buzzer went off, announcing the arrival of my chauffeur for the evening. I was forced to tell my friend that I would not be joining her for the class. I was going to have to manage this unexpected situation.

As I continued to berate the injustice of the world, I looked into the eyes of Rupert. He was looking sad and victimized. The black polish that was resting on the crown of his head did not help his case. I began to laugh and comfort my sweet little dog as I gently bathed him back to cleanliness.  I let go of my sadness for having to miss this class and chose to accept the humor of the situation. Even as I was forced to chase Rupert through the apartment as he tried to escape the hair dryer, I laughed. If this is the biggest challenge that I will face this week, my life is pretty good. I am indeed blessed.

Success or sabotage? Success is often simply a choice at the moment. If one is able to let go of fixed expectations, one can make room for the unexpected joys of living.

Is this going to be an incredible day? Notice the humor that surrounds you. Lighten up and let the day carry you.