Whale Scouting

I had a great example this week of the power of words and attitude.  I am on a wonderful vacation in Monterey, California with 3 of my good friends.  For one friend’s birthday, we decided to go whale watching.  She told us that she has waited her whole life (half a century) to finally see a whale in person.

The boat trip was exhilarating:  choppy waters that sometimes felt like a roller coaster, a pelican that practically landed on our heads, layers of clothes that kept us warm in the chilly ocean air, and a sense of shared anticipation as each of the passengers searched for sightings of whales and dolphins and sea turtles.  At some point past the second hour of our journey, the usually overly enthusiastic guide began to sound discouraged.

I’ve never seen anything like it.  We usually see humpbacks and sometimes a blue whale.  For sure we see whole families of dolphins, but today we have only seen an occasional otter.  Something is really wrong…

We didn’t see any whales at all.  One friend said, only half kidding:  Now, we’re going to all be depressed for the rest of the day! I said:  No, we won’t!

We were all given “rain checks” to go out and try again.  We immediately decided to go in another couple of days.  Although all of us were disappointed by the lack of sightings, we all commented on how much fun we had anyway.

And then one friend put a spin on the experience that satisfied all of us.  You know what, we didn’t go whale “watching,” we went whale “scouting!”

And then we all laughed and enjoyed the rest of our day.  Think about all the times something didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to.  For a number of hours or days, we lament on the missed opportunity.  I have noticed in my own life that often after some time has passed, I realize that the missed opportunity turned into a whole new adventure that I didn’t even imagine at the time.

Remember the old adage:  You want to make God laugh?  Plan your life!

We can’t know for sure what’s around the corner, but if we are willing to “roll with the punches,” we can enjoy even the illusion of disappointment.  As usual, if you find it difficult to let go of your original plans, try tapping:

Even though I waited my whole life to see a whale, I am willing to enjoy this moment with my friends and know that I eventually will see a whale…

I love the work of Byron Katie.  The title of her first book says it all:  Loving What Is.  If we accept that whatever is happening is exactly what is happening, and we don’t fight it by thinking:  This shouldn’t be this way, then we really never need to be upset or disappointed by the twists and turns of life.

So, if you don’t get to whale watch in life, be sure to enjoy whale scouting!