Do I Feel Lucky? Do You? PYL In-Flight Oct 22, 2022
Welcome Back My Shifting Passengers:
I’m supposed to be packing right now for our trip to Mexico tomorrow but was interrupted by a message from the airline that we may need to change flights due to hurricane Roslyn which is expected to make landfall around Puerto Vallarta sometime today or tonight.
I’m not sure what to do. Pack and hope for the best or make other plans? I’m somewhat paralyzed at this point.
When Adam was little (I think before Finn was born), Zeke and I were supposed to go to a surf resort north of Puerto Vallarta about the same time of year. We were able to change our plans through Alaska Air and ended up in Cabo San Lucas instead. It was not the trip we planned, nor what we hoped for, but we’d already lined up my mom to watch Adam and we both had the time off from work so off we went.
While the kids are away at college, we’ve arranged for another TrustedHousesitter (Brett) to stay at the house with George and the cats.
Brett was supposed to be housesitting at a place in Oakland last week but the gal’s plans fell through so he ended up staying at the house with her. Awkward! I don’t want him to have to deal with the same thing this week so, just in case our flight is canceled and we can’t get down to Nuevo Vallarta, I had Zeke check on the availability of his parents’ place in Tahoe. It’s available so we may end up there.
Being flexible and responsive seems to be the name of the game lately. ‘The best laid plans of mice and men oft go astray’ leaving us with a choice: go with it and embrace the changes, or resist, struggle, and guarantee suffering.
For this trip I am opting to be flexible and see what happens. I’ve arranged a backup plan (Tahoe), I’ve set up notifications re the flight so I can make a change as soon as I have more info, and I am procrastinating on packing. I checked the weather in Tahoe and it’s 48 degrees today. In Puerto Vallarta, it’s in the high 80s.
I can’t help but see the parallels with midlife. So much is changing and outside of our control that our best approach is to take good care of ourselves, experiment with various options and see what turns up as a result. And then take new actions. Rinse repeat.
There’s no set path. There’s no set roadmap. All of us will experience these two decades in our own personal way.
As we let go of those things that are either no longer available or no longer serve us, we get to decide what’s next for us. I guarantee that we don’t have all of the pieces to put together our own personal tapestry as I talk about in Piloting Your Life (the book). Some things we aren’t aware of. Some things don’t exist yet. Some things aren’t yet available to us or we aren’t ready for.
It’s both a magical and frustrating time in our life (and this weekend).
Chapter 12, Taking Risks in Piloting Your Life, says:
We become so focused on the negative outcomes that we often lose sight of the upside. What if we reframe the fear? Instead of saying, “What if it goes wrong?” we say, “What if it goes right?” Focusing on the positive requires intention and with it comes an energy shift.
At the end of each chapter in the book I have a section called Taking the Controls providing an opportunity for readers to reflect on some key points in the chapter. In the chapter 13, Unexpected Opportunities, one of the prompts is:
Where does serendipity show up in my life?
Could this be one of the moments of serendipity where the possible change in plans can result in a fortunate discovery by accident?
I suppose it’s all in how I look at it and how I respond. I’ll let you know if I was able to go with the flow or if I turned into a complete and total nutjob next week. It could go either way.
May you find peace, acceptance, and love today as you navigate being human.
With much love and gratitude,
Terri
P.S. Take the controls and be the pilot in your own life. It’s a beautiful day to fly, and you are cleared for takeoff.
This week’s song: Cowboy in LA by LANY
Why this song this week? I love this song not just for the sound but for the lyrics too. It speaks to me of taking risks, setting out on adventures, and trust. Add it your ‘feel good’ playlist.
Journal prompt / reflection: Where does serendipity show up in my life?
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