Your alarm rings and you slowly pull yourself out of bed. Sniff, sniff…where’s that aroma you are so used to smelling…your immediate pick-me-up? You discover your coffee pot didn’t come on this morning and your attempts to make the brew are futile. Totally frustrated you grab an herbal peppermint tea bag instead and hurry into the shower, mumbling unpleasantries all way through. As you dry off and prepare to put on your clothes, you realize you forgot to pick up the outfit from the cleaners that you had planned to wear that day. Scrambling through your closet you find something suitable for the meeting that morning. You’re finally ready to hop into your car only to hear the cur-plunk of a dead battery as you attempt starting your car. Needless to say, you’ve had it, and a whole string of words continually flow from your thoughts and mouth. Extremely frustrated you’d really like to crawl back into bed and just forget this day.

You’ve all had those days when everything seems to go wrong. You wonder why that particular day had to malfunction since there is so much to accomplish. You actually awoke in a great mood and suddenly everything is shot to pieces, or so it seems. What happened? Why you ask?

This is life. Life happens! The key however, is in the response to the situation. Did you kick your car in anger because it wouldn’t start? Did you curse your coffee pot for not giving your much needed morning energy boost? Perhaps you chewed yourself out for being so stupid to forget picking up the dry cleaning. And in the process what happened to your great day?

Learning to allow for the flow of life no matter what comes your way shows a strong and balanced person aligned with the ebb and flow of life. Getting angry and upset when these flukes happen in your life places you in a negative space expressed through fear. But understanding that these experiences are for your growth, are not a coincidence, and that there is a gift in the experience, shifts the negativity to positive expressions.

Maybe the coffee pot episode was so you could experience a healthier alternative to the coffee. Perhaps the outfit, even though you thought it was perfect for your meeting, really wasn’t as good as the one you ended up choosing. Possibly, by being late after getting your battery charged, protected you from being in an accident. Or, maybe you were given an opportunity to laugh and see the lighter side of life!

I believe everything happens in life for a very definite reason. Sometimes we get it and sometimes we don’t, but anytime we can learn to accept whatever and smile in spite of, we open channels of light and love to be expressed through us. Besides, what good does it really do to become angry? Does it change the situation in any way? Does it allow for resolution any faster?

Some months ago I was in front of several hundred people. I noticed a woman in the front row looking at my feet and I wondered why. Later, after the program was over, I checked out my feet and was I surprised. I had on two very different shoes! They were both black and had the same size heel, but they were so very different in style. Then I remembered trying on both shoes to see which I liked better, and in my rush I obviously forgot to exchange one of the shoes.

A few years ago I would have been so embarrassed to do something so seemingly unprofessional, especially since I was going to be in front of hundreds of people. Instead, I started to laugh, realizing how much I had grown because it wasn’t that big a deal anymore. In fact, I went to the executive director and asked if he wanted a good laugh. When he agreed I told him to look at my feet. Yep, he got a good laugh and so did I. It was so unlike me to do something like this yet we’re all human and things happen. The key is in the response.

How do you respond to your life situations? Can you laugh at the chain of events that made you late, allowed you to be imperfect, or made you feel silly? Can you accept everything as perfect and allow it to be without judgment? That is how you grow beyond the bad hair day and become greater. You are bigger than anything in your life experience, and these little inconveniences (or big ones) help you grow into the possibilities life holds for you, if you see them. Every day is a Gift. So is everything that is in it!

Carolyn Porter