February 22, 2022
My boy turned 5 and of course, we had to have a party this weekend! But being where we are on our journey of living more with less we did not have the adequate space to host the size of party he imagined.
So …! The venue – the beach! Perfect! Loads of space and instant entertainment. The whole week I kept my eye on the weather report – sunny skies and light wind.
Early Saturday morning the car was packed with party packs, a birthday cake, balloons, camp chairs, and bodyboards for the big event. But as we came over the first hill we saw that the ocean was covered in a dark cloud bank.
Hopefully, we pushed on. But when we pulled into the parking lot and opened the doors a freezing wind blew us right back in. There was no way we could have a party on the beach today. You should have seen my 5-year-olds face.
My husband and I immediately instructed the boys to start blowing up balloons while I called my dear sister to ask if we could move the party to her house. In the meantime, my husband informed everyone of the changes. I asked my Mom to pick up some extra stuff at the shop and then realized … but what will the kids do? No sand to build sandcastles. No waves for bodyboarding. No rock pools to explore.
More phone calls. Ten minutes later my brother-in-law confirmed that he will have their portable pool filled for the party and I managed to arrange a water slide for extra fun.
We arrived peeling out of the car together with a dozen of blue balloons following us. We had twenty minutes to set everything up and create some kind of party atmosphere.
The day was awesome! The party was a hit! Lots of swimming, sliding, and fun.
It paid off to have been flexible.
It is almost guaranteed that things won’t always work out the way we want them to. Instead of panicking when it does happen, take a few deep breaths and start to think. Most of the time when we are stressed we stop thinking. And that is a problem. Think of alternatives. Pick up your phone and reach out for help.
You will be surprised how your substitute plan can sometimes be better than the original one!
We sure were!!!
Hit the reply button with a 'like' if you think that being more flexible is a good idea.
