The gift of inconvenience

Chances are if you live in New England, this weekend’s storm aka Nemo has put the brakes on any and all plans that you may have had for this weekend. If you are like most people including yours truly, the idea of having your plans interrupted because of an inconveniently timed storm tends to create a bit of angst and annoyance. I mean who the hell does this damn storm think it is? Did Nemo not know that I had plans?

I am a recovering type A personality and despite my valiant attempts at recovering, the truth is that I still struggle greatly when inconvenienced. The funny thing though is that life for many of us is a series of untimed and unplanned inconveniences. Which is why it’s almost comical how many of us and again I include myself get so annoyed when inconvenienced.

Life rarely goes as planned for any of us, even on the outside looking in; most people who appear to have it all are struggling with something that they didn’t plan for. It could be finances, illness, relationships, whatever… I think of a friend of mine who on the outside has it all, but whenever I start feeling a private pity party when I look at her life compared to mine. I remember that she has suffered from horrific loss, the kind that many never recover from.  Yet she took what was a tragic inconvenience and moved on.

Inconvenience though is at times a gift, because it forces us to take stock of situations and realize what matters most in our lives.  Sometimes inconvenience forces us to just sit still and be which can be one of the most uncomfortable feelings in our fast paced always on world. In many ways yoga has made me more tolerant of inconveniences of all kinds. In the end, there are simply some things that I have no say about, all I can do is adjust my attitude to meet the situation and surrender to the moment.

Weather is one of those things that after a decade in Maine I have decided is simply not worth stressing about. Now let me be clear, I am a bit concerned about all the snow on my roof and if the plow guy doesn’t come back, we will be living in the snow for quite a while trying to clear out our driveway. Yet fretting about an event that I have no hand in changing or directing only adds to my own angst. So, I sit here getting ready to watch E.T. with my kiddo and thinking that this is a great weekend for baking.  We will all be back in the fast lane of life soon enough, until then stay safe in you are in New England. If you aren’t in New England, send us some warming thoughts…

If Nemo has pissed you off, take a deep breath and know that before you know it, warm weather will be here.

View from the porch of the car. That was after the porch was shoveled so I could stand on it.
View from the porch of the car. That was after the porch was shoveled so I could stand on it.