“The happiest people don’t necessarily have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.”

Dear Universe,

As the saying goes, “When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”

If that doesn’t suit you there’s always the other saying, “When life gives you lemons, make margaritas.”

I’m not one for tequila, but I like the sentiment.

Lately, I just find myself laughing more and more at the mishaps, misadventures and mayhem that occurs on a day to day basis.

Instead of stressing for too long, I find myself shrugging my shoulders and telling myself to “roll with it.”

That’s right.  It’s taken many years, many stresses, traumas, and tragedies and what I have come up with is simply to, roll with it.

Everyone stop and write that down.  🙂

But it’s really quite simple.  When nothing can be done, do nothing.  When something can be done, do something.

And when you’re not sure which category you’re in, sleep on it.  Sleep solves lots of things.

The other night, I got stuck out of town in a snowstorm.  Work ended and I realized in the short time I had been teaching, it had turned into blizzard conditions outside.  I’m talking horrible visibility, cars in gridlock or worse—sliding everywhere.

It took less than ten minutes before I decided to not stress and make the commute home—which my GPS was calculating would take triple the time—and just, you got it—roll with it.  I decided I’d stay the night and make the most of it.

I was rather impressed with myself.  Typically I tend to draw out stressful situations, weighing the pros and cons, contemplating every possible solution before I can even come to terms with it—never mind process it and do something about it!  I mean what if I make the wrong choice?!?

You get the idea.

This means normally I would drive and stress, think about pulling over, decide to keep going, drive some more, swear some more, drive, sweat, swear, yell, grip steering wheel tighter… You get the picture.

What could have easily turned into an aggravating, stressful, annoying (or even dangerous) evening, turned into a fun, relaxing adventure where I made some new friends.  (And yes, I was sure to get a drink, but it wasn’t a margarita!)

It hasn’t just been stressful situations where I have found myself rolling with it, though.

I’ve been willing to go out more, try new things, meet new people and be a little more spontaneous.  (This is big for me since I am the queen of no balance when work is going on).  I’m stretching out of my comfort zone and simply rolling with it.

Why not?

I have found that rolling with things—going with the flow, making the most of whatever comes my way—in just these last few weeks, has made for a more relaxed way of being.  I mean really, when something is out of your control, there’s no sense in worrying, thinking and stressing about it.

Typically, that causes you to feel worse.

So when you’re handed a bunch of lemons, make a lemonade or make a margarita, and don’t drive home in a horrible storm if you don’t have to.

Thanks for my newfound motto.  I’m liking it.  2014, I’m rolling with whatever you send my way.  See?  I knew I had a good feeling about you.  I knew we’d be friends.

Much Gratitude,

A