Facing Challenging Situations
A few Mondays ago, my AC gave out. We had typical New Orleans, subtropical weather during those days: highs in the upper 90’s, lows in the upper 80’s. Sunny skies with a daily afternoon thundershower and high humidity 24/7. Great for a dewy complexion but fierce for focused work. My house has a geothermal system, which only a limited few technicians in my area are qualified to service. I was placed on a waiting list and told to standby. Days passed.
As usual, my ability to embrace an opportunity to build grit and resilience kicked in. “We are tent campers! We are outdoorsy people! We are strong! We certainly are not wussies,” I told my children. The heat crept in. The bedrooms became turkish steam baths. They requested permission to move to their dad’s house. I let them go with the dog and I remained behind with the cat. I held meetings and coaching sessions on the back porch under the fans. By 10:00 am, I was fully in the sun with the blades stirring the moist air like molasses. As present as I tried to be, the rivulets of sweat that dripped down my face and glued the shirt to my back distracted me.
I called a friend who had planned a visit to warn her of the situation at my house. She replied with, “Well, now I guess you have an excuse to have a staycation in a nice hotel!” Silence on my end. The thought had never occurred to me. My brain had made me a victim. I thought the situation was out of my control. It did not occur to me to explore other options. I moved from “I am not in control” to “what can I control?” I suddenly had a choice. I did not have to suffer.
Immediately, I found a super reduced rate for a simple business hotel 7 minutes from my house. I had passed this building countless times and had never noticed it. Suddenly it was my oasis. I could finally sleep. I could work in peace and privacy and be fully present for my clients. I could rush home to meet the service technician when he called to announce that he was minutes away. Hooray!
When I feel like I’m stuck in a sticky situation, how can I ask for help? How can I use my creativity to explore my options? How can I choose to end my suffering? We don’t always have to build grit. We can also choose to simply create ease.