"There are no mistakes, no coincidences.
All events are blessings given to us to learn from."
~ Elizabeth Kubler-Ross
“If you don't like something change it;
if you can't change it, change the way you think about it.”
~Mary Engelbreit
My favorite story of plans gone awry is when we were in Maui planning a day trip to the island of Molokai. We were staying in west Maui at the Napili Surf. There is a beautiful view of Molokai from the bay that we’d stare at from the beach. At night we wondered what the little lights were around the coast. During the day we noticed what appeared to be deep valleys in high mountains. Molokai had fascinated us. So one trip, we made reservations for a small plane ride and a car rental. Finally we would learn all about Molokai!
We got up very early and went to the nearest airport, Kapalua, from where we planned to leave. However, when we got there we were told it was the wrong airport! We were stunned. Finally we asked the United Employee behind the desk what we should do and he said, “Hey, if you make it to Molokai, that’s a good thing. If you don’t make it to Molokai, that’s a good thing, too.” That made so much sense.
We gathered our packs and headed out to the car. We decided to make the most of the beautiful day. I had studied up on things to do in Maui so we decided to first go up to the entrance of Haleakala National Park and have breakfast at the Kula Lodge. The breakfast was delicious, and the view magnificent! From there we went to swim where the hawaiian royals did at the Io Needle, a beautiful rock outcropping that is a sacred place to the Hawaiians. Finally we drove around the northern tip of west Maui where most car rentals ask you to avoid. We ended up back at the Napili Surf, once again staring at Molokai. We had the most wonderful day. We hadn’t worried about getting our money back. We’d worry about that later. Most importantly we didn’t waste the most beautiful day.
"If you can solve your problem, then what is the need of worrying?
If you cannot solve it, then what is the use of worrying?"
~ Shantideva
When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I remember seeing that poster in my orthodontist’s office w hen I was about 13. I fell in love with the saying. For my birthday that year my parents bought me a small yellow poster with lots of lemons on it with the saying. It was a good thing for me to stare at during those formative years. It became almost a mantra for me.
We all have things happen that we can’t control. I didn’t get into a college that I wanted to and should have gotten into. I can’t control a two year old’s tantrum in the grocery store. I couldn’t control the sale of our 2nd house when several offers fell through. I couldn’t control the rainy weather we had for the wedding in our back yard this summer. I can control my reaction to the event! When you let go of that control, it’s freeing!
When things don’t go quite right in life we now say, “And if (insert event) doesn’t happen, that’s a good thing, too!” Did we ever make it to Molokai? Yes, about 2 years later! And it was as wonderful a place to discover as we thought it would be!
Beautiful Murphy’s Beach on Molokai
where we stared and back at Maui!
