Just Go With It

I like to consider myself a go with the flow type of person. I like to have a plan and I enjoy organized fun, but if something throws that plan off kilter, I am pretty good at adjusting and celebrating the alteration. When I was probably 5 or 6, this lesson was taught to me in an extreme way.

My family used to have a house in Yulen, NY which is near Woodstock. It was a decent sized house on top of a hill and on the bottom of that hill was a lake with a big dock. At the house we also had a swing set, a hammock, and a swimming pool. But none of that actually matters to the story. During the spring, my parents had set out to get the house repainted. I think it was red or brown or something when we moved in, I don't really remember. They asked for the house to be painted grey with blue shutters. I will never forget driving up the driveway for our first summer weekend and seeing a big blue house looming above. A big blue house with grey shutters, of course. My 3 year old sisters and I were delighted. How much cooler could a house be? My parents, on the other hand, were not happy at all. But they saw how happy we were and they left it blue. The last time I went up to Yulen was about two years ago, and the house was still blue. That blue house gave my sisters and I a lot of happiness, and in turn gave my parents happiness.

What did I learn from this? What have I taken with me? When life screws with you, just be accommodating because happiness will prevail.