Where are you? That was the message I received last night when I wasn’t where I was supposed to be. I started to type a humorous response but then I looked at the question again. It didn’t fit the narrative of our conversation.
That proverbial light bulb went off over my head, my eyes widened, and I said….”no, it’s not tonight.” I ferverishly searched my emails for the event ticket and there it was, plain as the nose on my face. The event was happening and I was late.
Thankfully, I had most everything ready. It was a birthday wine and design for a friend. Like a madman I jumped off the couch and started gathering all the things. I quick put Moose in his crate and headed to the event.
When I arrived, I said, “Why is everyone so early”? Ba-da-bum Truth be told I was 40 minutes late. Ay, caramba!
The instructor came to my station and got me started on the painting. Despite my being late, it was really a fun night.
You know you’re making progress when something that used to bother you, doesn’t seem as important as it once was. Back in the day, my being THAT late would’ve caused a melt down. I would’ve been sullen and overly apologetic and beat myself up the rest of the night.
But, this night wasn’t about me. It wasn’t about my being late. It was about celebrating a friend’s birthday. So, I brushed off any bad feelings and had a great time.
This might not seem like a big deal, but this is what celebrating the small victories in our life looks like. While I painted away in an effort to catch up, mistakes were made. BUT, those mistakes can still be part of the overall prettier picture in progress.
The point being, don’t discount your mistakes. Instead use them as stepping stones to rise above what seems to be catastrophic. We all tend to make small mistakes into bigger ones by over thinking the mistake instead of seeing the outcome.
Yes, I was late. It wasn’t intentional. There’s no reason to stay stuck in “beat myself up” mode.
So, when my friend asked “Where are you?”, she had no idea how that simple question would effect how I’d process the rest of the evening. It kept me present, and in the moment, so I could enjoy the gifts in front of me.
Stay present my friends, it absolutely matters where you are! ❤️
Blessed to be Broken 