Find the joy than choose it.

What do you learn from the most annoying vacation experience ever? In a year of focus, you realize that even in aggravating circumstances, you can find the positive if you are looking for it. 

Family vacations are great. They were rare experiences growing up, but I am blessed to be able to do them annually with my family as an adult. So I have a nice balance of enjoying them and not taking them for granted. 

This year we embarked on our first cruise. I have always resisted a cruise because it doesn’t align with my relaxation preferences, but my family has always wanted to try one. I held out for years, but this year I finally agreed to try it out. What an adventure. 

Here are significant events from that experience and some things I learned along the way 

The FAA shuts the entire flight system down. Thanks for the warnings.  

We happened to travel on a rare occasion the FAA computer systems went down. All domestic flights were grounded for several hours.  The result was a flight experience that should have lasted 2 hours lasting almost 10. Sitting in an airport with your kids for 8 hours isn’t wonderful. On top of the grounding by the FAA, once we got on the plane, there was a mechanical issue, and we had to turn around to check a light bulb in a sensor. 

I decided to be thankful that we live in a time with so many proactive warning signals. The FAA system warns of potential danger, and the light sensor on the plane does the same thing. We have access to preventive medical services to warn us of potential dangers to our health. And text alerts from our banks to warn us when we are in danger of running out of money. I am thankful for warning signs that don’t go ignored. 

Plus, my wife had planned a flight a day early, so we didn’t need to worry about missing the boat. So I was thankful for thoughtful planning and a little bit of margin. We all need more margin in our lives. 

Then there was the weather that reminded me relationships matter 

The weather was so bad we couldn’t get into port. I am told this rarely happens. But it did. No Bahamas for us. Instead, we got an extra day at sea. As a bonus, due to high winds, they closed many of the outdoor attractions. So options for fun became limited, but the number of people wanting to use them was considerable. So demand exceeded supply. 

It turns out the thing I enjoy most is my family. I know this because we spent time together playing cards because it was the best option. While playing, we shared stories and laughed about things that were only funny to us because we had experienced them together. Invest in your relationships. When the world lets you down or you face disappointment, it’s great to have people there who can share your burden and help you make lemonade from the lemons. Then you can laugh about them down the road. 

The behavior of others reminded me, don’t overreact to the minor things just because you can; keep it all in perspective 

There is a lot of violent conflict in our world. Our head waiter was from Ukraine. His son is a teenager and in the army. Ukraine is at war. Which means his son is at war. People die in war. 

Please don’t take your safety and all the freedoms that come with it for granted. Not everyone is so lucky to have their most significant problem be their all-inclusive latte had too many or too few pumps in it. And the person you are yelling at might be carrying a heavier load. 

Find joy in the fact most of the annoying things in your life aren’t of life or death consequence. Do your best to manage your reactions to life’s inconveniences. React in such a way that you don’t add to another person’s unspoken burden.

And as a bonus, be thankful that, like the waiter's son, there are well-trained people willing to risk their safety to help you should you ever face a life-and-death situation. 

Conclusion

There is joy all around you, even when things aren’t going your way. Choosing to see it is a mindset you control. I encourage you to look for and find joy in whatever you experience today. It actually does make bad situations more tolerable, plus joy is contagious. So your smile might change the course of someone else’s journey in a positive way.