When my world was falling apart back in 2013, a dear friend and coach, Tandy Pryor, told me that the universe was simply clearing my path for something much bigger and better. It was really hard to hear this at the time, as I had no idea how I was going to pay my bills, much less move on.
But man, was she right. I think that, too often, we only rejoice in our successes and happy times in life, and don’t give enough credit to the tough times, the mistakes, the true fuck ups. Well, I think that is awfully short-sighted.
Let’s look at this week, for instance. I really made a mess out of the last week of our honeymoon. I made a dumb mistake and, as a result, cost us a bunch of money. But, as my buddy Brad taught me, the Universe just had a different plan for us this week.
We diverted from New Zealand to Hawaii because I could get us there on Delta points and by flying standby. And as we were sitting on the plane together, it struck me that we had a seven-hour layover in Tokyo. Now, I was reminded that, on my dream list, I had distinctly identified Japan as a place I want to visit in the next 2-3 years, so my wheels started turning.
What if we could leave the airport for our layover and see the city?
Or better yet, what if Delta would let us extend our layover a few days so we could actually stay here?!?
Customs was a breeze, so we headed to the ticketing counter, where the most lovely and helpful woman agreed to move our flight out three days for next to nothing, and to have our bags delivered for us by the customs team. Within an hour, we were on a bus toward Tokyo, and then staying in a traditional Ryokan room with a Jakotsuyu public bath. As we strolled through the magical streets of Asakusa, I couldn’t help but smile from ear to ear.
Tandy was right. It’s the screw ups in life, the royally bad moments, that make room for the Universe’s more magical plans.
