This morning I woke up excited and looking forward to attending my good friend’s community potluck and documentary viewing when I discovered the keys to my car were in the glove compartment of my locked car and my husband--who had the second set—was out for the morning with our son. Fully dressed, coconut honey-lime fruit salad in hand, I realized my morning plans had just taken a giant nosedive—I was going nowhere.

There have been many times in my life when I’ve perceived things were going “wrong” (not my way) and later it turned out they were exactly perfect. BUT the other day—in the middle of a giant funk---I wondered, where can I find gratitude for what’s not going my way right now.

Today, I’m feeling called to pause and gratefully acknowledge (with just the tiniest bit of resentment):

• the business systems within my organization that no longer work and are asking to be reformed
• on-the-job inefficiencies that make you feel as if you want to pull your hair out
• family and relationship struggles and miscommunication that seem unnecessary
• learning in a way that feels “hard” (you know what I mean)

Why am I celebrating these frustrations? Because even though the silver lining from these hardships has yet to be revealed, my greatest learning--and growth--has come from mistakes, because the pearls that have come to me from living in the unknown have changed my life, and because I know that the ability to “reset” and start each day fresh and new is a gift unto itself. These struggles are calling me to develop a level of discernment unlike any I’ve had before and offering me the chance to really step into new ways of being.

Am I dealing with some things that are uncomfortable, challenging and messy right now? Yep. Am I open to the growth that may come from these? Yeah (heels dragging), I think so.

What about you? Are you watching old systems, structures or ways of being topple to the ground and beg to be re-imagined or rebuilt? I thought so. We’re all drinking from the same well.

Sending us all lots of compassion and courage as we stretch into the highest versions of who we are during this busy holiday season (here are some tips on how to stress less). And the next time you have a flat tire or life throws you a real sucker punch, pause and see if you can find even the tiniest seed of gratitude in the middle of seeming disaster.