Because life happens on vacation, too.

I just came off of a weeklong vacation. It was glorious to say the least.

I checked NO personal or work emails. I did not do too much scrolling on my phone. I did not even pull my computer out of its carrier, even though I had every intention to do so.

I got sleepy early every night and slept in late every morning. I ate all the snacks and all the meals and drank all the vanilla lattes I could stomach. I had ice cream and I'm sure I didn't drink enough water during the trip, even though I tried. I brought a suitcase full of workout clothes because I wanted to walk in the mornings. I never did.

I also brought my swimsuit for pool days and only put it on twice. In short, I did a whole lot of nothing. I couldn't seem to muster the energy to do anything. It was such a nice change of pace. I'm usually going all the time, so, when I finally slowed down, my body was clear in letting me know that it needed a break. I was happy to check out and not think about much at all.

Unfortunately, life doesn't stop happening because you need or want a break. One evening during vacation week, my mother and I hopped in the car with my husband to drive him to the airport. He had to get back home for work. It was blazing hot and I went to start the car -- wasn't happening. The radio worked. Everything on the dashboard lit up, but, after lots of clicking noises, the car wouldn't turn on. GREAT!

Needless to say, I was frustrated and annoyed. The last thing I wanted to do was deal with a problem on my vacation. Finally, after a few tries, the car turned on and we were able to get to the airport and back. I parked the car for the night, praying that it was just a fluke and that it would just go away by morning. Wrong.

I couldn't turn on the car the next day and had to call a tow truck. When it was all said and done, I had to drop over $200 for a new battery. Granted, it wasn't the worst thing that could have happened. Still, I thought that a car issue had no place on my vacation.

The silver lining is that a few years ago, I would have completely lost it because something went wrong. It would have had the potential to ruin the rest of my vacation. This time, I didn't let that happen. I've learned over the years that stuff happens and you HAVE to roll with it. If you don't, you'll be the one who loses. I am thankful for the opportunity to grow and for a situation to bring that growth to light.

I could have done a lot with $200. I choose to be grateful that I was able to pay for what I needed. I went on to enjoy the rest of vacation. I continued to eat, sleep, and drink lattes. I spent time with my family and got much needed rest. It would have been a complete waste for me to let this blip on the radar overshadow all the good that came out of my time away from "real life."

Perhaps you are facing an unexpected hiccup and it is hard to find the joy in that situation. You may feel like you need a break, but problems are able to find you no matter how hard you hide from them. I encourage you to take it in stride. Deal with the issue one step at a time and, then, when it's over, move forward. Do not get caught in the trap of dwelling on how something happened that you'd rather forget. Instead, celebrate that you were able to handle it, even if it took a lot out of you.

I've allowed too many issues ruin the rest of a perfectly good occasion. I don't want to waste time and energy anymore. I realize with every day that time is precious and it is important for me to soak up every moment. It is important for you to do the same. Whatever it is, you can handle it and you will get through it.

Life is going to happen whether we are ready or not. Trust me when I tell you that you're more ready than you think!

Until next time, take good care of yourselves, friend,

Courtney xoxo