What do you do when the universe sends you a curveball? What about when it keeps firing them into the pocket? That’s the best way I can describe my morning.

I got up this morning prepared for a full day of meetings. I’d just finished checking each of my communication channels (email accounts, texts/messages, etc) when our internet service went down. Many of you know that we’ve moved to an island just off the coast of Fairhaven, MA. What we’ve just figured out is that when the communication system goes down it’s kind of a big deal. Not only do we lose internet, WIFI and cell service, we also lose the landline. In an instant, we were cut off from the outside world.

So, I improvised, driving down to the mainland (only a few minutes) to pick up cell service so I could quickly call my Virtual Executive and ask her to reach out and extend my apologies to the folks I was meant to meet with this morning.

Off to Plan B. Since I’ve got no connectivity, I’ll shoot a video blog. Just as I get set up to shoot, the landscapers show up to begin constructing our outdoor living space. Mind you, I am super excited about this because it feels like the last step in the construction project. That said, having a back hoe and a dump truck with cobblestones outside your office window isn’t exactly conducive to shooting a video.

Okay, no problem, we’ll move on to Plan C. I’ll write a blog. And, as I wake up my computer, I receive a message that my keyboard is critically low. Seriously?!?!?! Where was that notification an hour ago?

Thankfully, I had taken some time before the day began to center myself. Otherwise, I’m quite certain that the first curveball would have sent me spinning. How often does our encounter a curveball not only throw us off course but also ripples its way into any subsequent interaction until we’re able to regain our footing?

That simple act of setting myself up for the day allowed me to pause at each curveball and reset myself. So, rather than getting frustrated and clinging to “what I was supposed to be doing,” I could, instead, get curious and ask myself, “what can I do?” And, this curiosity opened the door to new opportunities.

The internet service has just been restored. And, while I feel badly for the individuals who were inconvenienced this morning, I am grateful that the experience won’t taint the meetings I have for the rest of the day.

- Lisa