A PRICKLY RIDE

It's fair to say tough moments are inevitable. It may be your phone broke, you have an argument with your significant other, you fail a test, you spill coffee on yourself, you're late to work. However…. we have control over how we respond to the obstacles of life. I came face to face with this notion yesterday-

Adam and I were ready to roll, or Adam was and in theory I was. We had picked out an awesome bike ride through the desert and around a canyon in Palm Springs. We had tested out our rental bikes and the terrain on a short ride the day before. I quickly made up my mind that I was not fond of the bike OR the terrain. I was on a track of finding everything wrong with the ride as possible... before we even started!!!! An hour or so into the ride I hit a wall I had to walk my bike, I hit my pedal on the back of heal numerous times, slipped on the slippery rocks and even forgot to take in the beauty of where we were! We were on the rim of a canyon with stunning views! 

I barked at Adam "next trip I'm planning for us to go on a yoga retreat!" What?!? Although a yoga retreat would be nice, I was missing the boat! Look where you are, Katie! It is a warm, beautiful day and you are outside doing what you love, with your love. As I tromped along the trail contemplating throwing my bike into the canyon, I came upon a cattle gate with non other than Adam in Warrior One pose :) Oh the little things. I admit, I tried to resist smiling. That lasted all of .5 seconds before I was beaming. 

I had a choice of how I was going to respond to the obstacles I faced many times during that ride. So what I didn't like my bike, notice it, do what you can to change it, but don't let the little things rock you off your game. Missed opportunities occur in life when we allow those obstacles to be the primary story in our head. I had a choice to rewrite that story- I could have easily counter balanced my frustrations with the beauty of the canyon, the warm sun, Adam's humor and being out of my comfort zone. I got to choose how I wanted the ride to be. Nothing wrong with being frustrated, it just can't run the whole show. Tough moments do not have to result in a "bad day."