The word of the week was “bummer”.  My 4 year old daughter learned it from her best friend at school and taught it to her little brother who also found it hilarious.  The two of them would shout the word at each other and then dissolve into fits of laughter.  I know it’s the first syllable that triggers the giggles from my daughter; my son is just going along for the fun of it.

Last night, I sighed the word to myself and didn’t even crack a smile.  Bummer.  It was one of those things, you know, when you’re hoping for a particular outcome and you realize it’s not going to happen.  When that happens to me, I usually teeter on the fence of denial, at times hanging over the edge of one side in shock and then swinging all the way over to the other side…acceptance.  And acceptance is pretty much where I always land, sometimes gracefully on ginger feet, sometimes smack on my behind with a thud.  But I get there.

I get to acceptance faster and more easily when I remember something I really and truly believe in the depths of my being.

I believe that when I ask the Universe for something, I will be answered in 1 of 3 ways:

1.  Yes.

2.  Not right now.

3.  No…We have something better in store for you. 

It sounds cliche and maybe like something you just tell yourself to feel better.  But how many times has this happened to you?  How many times have you been disappointed by an outcome only to later be thanking your lucky stars for it?  Maybe it takes days, weeks, months or years for the amazing blessing to be realized.  I can’t count how many times I’ve said “Thank God that such and such happened when it did!” or “Now I see why I wasn’t able to such and such at that time”.

At this point, I don’t know yet what the underlying blessing is to my bummer.  But remembering the above, I am landing at acceptance somewhat gracefully.  Not quite ballerina gracefully, but let’s just say I’m not quite on my toosh, either.

I think it’s helpful to remind yourself of the blessings you have received from situations that once disappointed you, angered you, or otherwise negatively affected you.  Take some time to explore these in your mind or in your journal.  They will give you strength the next time you encounter a bummer.  I’ll log this in Writing Prompts for you.

Have a fabulous weekend – in just a few hours I will be randomly drawing the name of a winner of Salt In His Shoes by Deloris and Roslyn Jordan.  All subscribers are automatically entered to win!  The winner will be contacted by email.  For more details and to find out how to earn extra entries, please see last week’s interview.