A Wren Says

While I was in Austin for SXSW, I got excited by the premiere of Holland, starring Nicole Kidman. I rushed over from my talk to make my way to the line. And then I was directed to the end. Several streets over. I held out hope, as I waited, telling myself the line wasn’t nearly as long as it seemed. But as we finally approached the theater, a message rippled down the line. The theater was at capacity; no one else would be let in. Disheartened, I made my way back to find something else to do.

My next choice was to go check out the Love is Blind experience. That should be fun. I navigated the streets, made it to the line. Rather than waiting and hoping, the attendants told me that it was unlikely I would get inside. Better leave and not waste the time. I opened my app to find something else to do, anything else. Then my feet and my body got honest with me. “You’ve been walking around all day. Maybe it’s time to rest.”

I didn’t want to admit to myself that I needed an evening to myself, to rest, eat takeout, and watch mindless television. I thought that I would be “wasting the experience” if I gave myself an early night in. But as I tried to ignore myself, circumstances opened up for me to do what was truly best for me.

I often fall prey to the sense that the opportunities that I miss out on will come back to haunt me. I have a strong fear of missing out, because surely that was what I was really meant to do. That way that I never got to go down must have been the best path for me, and I missed it. But truthfully, those missed opportunities offer new opportunities. Each blocked path opens up a new journey to take, that could be potentially even better.  Sometimes it is good to miss out on things.

Sometimes, when it feels like things aren’t working out, they are actually working in your favor.