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Sometimes it just doesn’t look good. The clouds are starting to form. The horizon is looking dark. And you begin to develop a certain uneasy feeling. So, what to do? One great answer that is ‘tested’ and ‘true.’ Take a deep breath. Feel a sense of faith. And tell yourself. ‘Sometimes, it just works out.’ And then, take another breath – and begin to feel a deep abiding confidence – knowing deep down, that in the end, all will work out in a truly marvelous way.
Strange – but it works. And this is exactly what happened for us, albeit in a minor way, over this past weekend. An outdoor wedding was planned for Sunday afternoon at a mountain resort in northern Vermont. The ceremony was to take place on the side of a ski slope. Am sure that the wedding party had envisioned a beautiful fall day – with bright orange foliage all around. Unfortunately, however, the weather leading up to the afternoon wedding was ‘miserable.’ Cold, windy, rainy, and worse. But somehow, we all just said, ‘it’s going to work out.’ And it did.
But not the way we had imagined. We were hoping that the weather would clear, the clouds would part – and voila a sunny day. But no. The miserable weather persisted. So, instead, the wedding ceremony was moved inside. To this beautiful warm ski lodge – with family and friends all packed in close together. It was like magic. There was a feeling of true warmth that filled this intimate space. A wonderful feeling of warmth that never could have been felt in an outdoor wedding. So, in fact, yes, it all did work out!
Have you ever been in a situation where things don’t go according to plan, yet they seem to work out in the end? Or in other cases, better than you anticipated or expected? Sometimes, despite how much time and effort we put into planning something, things go awry and not according to plan. Whether it’s an important meeting, a date, or even a wedding, life has a way of throwing curve balls at us in a way that forces us to either sink or swim.
It can be a bit jarring when things don’t go according to plan. Sometimes we wonder whether or not we planned properly or even that the world is against us. Rather than assuming the worst, the question really became “what can we do to make the best of the situation?”
Rather than reacting and assuming the worst when things don’t go according to plan, it’s important to take a step back and figure out what we can do to accommodate our circumstances rather than fighting them. The first step is to really accept the truth that deviations are a normal part of life and more often than not, we’ll have to pivot. That means focusing on solutions rather than what’s gone wrong, especially when things are out of our control, like the weather.
Thinking back to the wedding, what occurred to me was that even though it rained and threatened the ceremonies, the bride and groom, through a lifetime of relationship building with those in attendance, had actually prepared for something like this all along. Each person did their part to make sure the day was still special, and in the end, everything worked out. So, if you ever find yourself in a situation where plans change or are interrupted all together, remember things have a way of working out. As A.A. Milne, the famed author of the tales of Winnie the Pooh said, “You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”
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