I choose to deal!

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about my fear of planning a vacation. Every time—EVERY TIME we plan a vacation, something happens to suck the joy and money out of the plans.

I know life isn’t fair, but…. Well, you know the rest.

As I write this, I have a beautiful view of the mountains of Maui through my hotel condo window. The challenges we’ve faced as we charted out this respite have not been the most difficult, but there have been so many.

We dealt with sick cars, sick dog, and a sick refrigerator. Most of the money we saved specifically for this trip was drained from our account before we even left. Then, the night before we caught our 5:30am flight, the kitchen sink backed up. Nothing cleared the blockage.

Tom is very handy, but he was not able to fix the sink in the time we had before leaving town. So, we cleaned up the mess, turned off some of the water, put buckets and bowls under the sink to catch the dripping water, and left town. Even with all those precautions, the kitchen is STILL wet.

The kids are home and are dealing with things. I appreciate them so much! They are cycling through towels—drying the wet ones and laying out dry linens to absorb the water. We canNOT find the source of the leak!

I am amazed at the way my Facebook followers and friends suggest I deal with this crisis.

“Just get on the plane and let your house float away.”

“Forget about it!”

“Turn off the water in the house, and GO!”

I’m a deal-with-it kind of girl. I think that most of the friends and family who gave me the “forget about it” advice, are also people who deal with stuff. They are smart, talented, energetic, and strong. They don’t get that way by ignoring life’s challenges…they DEAL.

If I ignore the leaky sink, the small problem will turn into a major financial and physical loss. The floor and cabinets will rot and be ruined. Besides, can I really rest and relax on my vacation knowing my kitchen is being destroyed, one drip at a time?

I deal with things! When my kids were on drugs, we dealt with it. We never buried our head in the sands and ignored the signs and the loss. If we’d taken the “don’t worry, be happy” kind of road in our life, our family would be completely broken and our children might be dead.

I do pray, “God, give me the strength to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

There are loved ones in my life who would love for me to accept some things as unchangeable. That means that there is no hope for better. That is something I cannot accept, but that’s just me.

Life is filled with challenges. Life is filled with joys and amazing celebrations. I won’t let the trouble rob me of my joy. Rather, I will DEAL with the roadblock so I can get back on the road!