Best Day Ever

We have a problem.

Reese and I are rushing to catch the 12:57pm train to Penn Station so I can meet up with an old college friend I haven't seen in over 10 years. Plans are sketchy (but that's not the problem). We exchange phone numbers on Facebook and plan to be in touch again once I board the train. I get on said train. (Again, no problem.) I reach for my phone. Uh, where is my phone? Did I? No!! Please don't tell me that I did that. I search my bag over and over. Yep, I did...I forgot my phone in my car at the parking station.

That's a problem. 

I don't know my friend's phone number. Who remembers phone numbers these days? I don't know the hotel she is as staying at or even remotely, what part of the city she is in.

(Alarm bells)What to do?

My mind falls easily into blame mode trying to recall the exact misstep that led to this mistake.

• I had a hard time finding a parking spot in the lot. Was I so concerned with time that I rushed out of my car without noticing my phone still in the center cup holder.
• Why did I put my phone in the center cup holder???
• At the last minute I told Reese to keep her tablet at home. Damn! A tablet could have been helpful to us now.

Regrets, resentments, frustration...none of these are helpful in our situation and trying to undo my past actions doesn't change things either.

I try to remind myself that this doesn't have to be the end of the world. We just need to find another solution, another way, like water. We need to be problem solvers.

Switching mental gears helps. I immediately feel myself calm down which then allows me to think. Reese and I brainstorm ideas and before we reach Penn Station, we have a list of possibilities to try.

For one thing, we are surrounded by people with phones and internet access.
We have to be willing to ask for help, to rely on the kindness of strangers.

I am happy to say that there were many kind people that day that helped us, on the train and at Penn Station, including one old relic, the pay phone.

We had options. We weren't in a doomed state and eventually, all these kind New Yorkers helped us to reconnect with my friend. SUCCCESS!!!

Another success was seeing how much Reese liked being a problem solver. She liked having the BIG IDEA that saved the day. She was also pleasantly surprised to find New York city a friendly place. It was a good discovery for her to make.

For me, seeing how dependent I was on my phone, especially the fear I felt to be separated from it, was an eye opening experience.

I'm happy my fears didn't get the best of me that day.

I made a mistake but that mistake added so much more to our day.
We had an adventure and we experienced the city in a new way. But what I especially loved was that this wasn't just one of my many life talks with the kids.

It was just LIFE and we worked it out. Best Day Ever...you bet!!