OMG I had timed everything and just knew I had this done to the minute.
How many times have we proceeded in familiar things with old thoughts. I started out my day knowing that I had driven to the mall hundreds of time and would get there in 20 minutes. What started familiar turned into unexpected as soon as I arrived to the mall.
Traffic was slow as proceeded through the light as cattle being led into a field. The police officer stood in my turning lane making me go the opposite direction of my parking plan. This is not how it played out in my mind. Now I was not just late, but also delayed in ways I had not counted in my timing.
As I proceeded to follow the traffic flow in the mall area, it hit me…I am going to miss some of my session. I had made an appointment at the Apple store for noon and it was now 12:03 and I was in this cattle drove going slow.
“Where was all these people coming from in the middle of the day, and why were you here when I am here” went through my mind. Continuing to be safe, and looking intently for the best parking space, it really became evident that I was going to be LATE.
It takes 24 minutes to get to the mall and park, but today it took me 45 minutes. I drove around for 20 minutes trying to locate a parking space. Walking a distance to the nearest entry was fine with me, I just needed a space.
Right around the time of realizing I am now 15 minutes late, a smile comes over my face because I now realize I am about in a position of being a student. Its a proven fact that life teaches you things daily, it is important that I learn what the lesson is.
Finally I found a parking space, right in the place I need it to be…YES I am feeling accomplished and confident with myself. Now parked and ready to learn my mind is flooded with this blog….the unexpected.
The mall has been in building mode, and construction is every where. A huge camping store opened and people from everywhere had migrated to the mall area and this was the reason for my unexpected time challenge.
Once in the mall I feel good, I was scheduled for an hour session and still had at least a good 40 minutes I could get in. Entering the Apple store I see my destination in the back.of the store where ..training for mac users take place
I check in for my noon training and hear back your appointment is scheduled for 1:30pm. Ugh what I reserved a space for today? Standing there all I could do was smile… the whole time I was trying to find a parking space and calculated how late I was now turned into my lesson from life:)
The apple consultant showed me to a space in the back I could still get help. I found my stool, sat down and proceeded to get my mac book out for the training I needed.
No one could have prepared me for what would have taken place as I set out to the familiar only to enter the unexpected. Feeling good and open to the lesson for the day its apparent I needed to grow some more. Let me share with you what the unexpected taught me today:
1. Familiar can cause you to not prepare properly
2. Never time things to the last-minute just because it worked in the past
3. Stay positive when the unexpected happens
4. Do not beat yourself up for being ignorant
5. Proceed in completing what you set out to do, even in a set back
6. Expect to learn something when things are out of your control
7. Smile it keeps you pleasant
Have you ever experienced some things in your life that seemed so familiar yet out of no where the unexpected happens? What did you learn during that time? How do you handle the unexpected?
Just Appetizers 