“All Great Adventures Have Moments That Are Really Crap.”

All great adventures have moments that are really crap.” –Ellen Potter via Jenny Magiera

I recently experienced this, and survived my epic tale. You can make it through yours, too.

My adventure was well-planned and perfectly executed: get to the hotel early enough to beat the weather, hole up and dig into desired projects, present and teach the next morning.

I had all of my supplies:

• comfy clothes
• four work projects
• three personal projects
• my journal
• a new book
• a cooler of healthy-ish snacks for supper
• a variety of tea and other beverages
• chocolate

Extended quiet time to work alone, are you kidding me?!? This was both an opportunity and a way to turn it into a fun adventure. I was finally going to make a lot of progress on these digital projects, and then I’d luxuriously bask in the glow of ease and joy afterward with some reading. Or journaling. Or both!

Settling in at the desk during mid-afternoon to begin my anticipated marathon adventure, I immediately discovered two things:

1. My computer had a 20% charge.
2. I had forgotten to bring my charge cord.

You can probably tell that this is hugely unusual for me. In fact, it was a first.

And I needed to save the charge, so that I could present the next day.

Aaand…here’s where I ‘fess up that my presentation wasn’t quite finished yet.

Oh, crap.

Let the real adventure begin.

I spent a pretty intense two minutes ramping up into problem-solving mode, which I can be overly good at. (Note to self: not everything/everyone needs fixing…)

But you know what? It was only two minutes, whereas in the past it would have wrecked most if not all of my entire time.

I know what you’re thinking: just suck it up and go get another charge cord. However, I was in the largest town — of less than 6500 people — in a remote, rural area. I opted to not spend my evening chasing down a Surface cord via phone and Google Maps. And, I was three hours away from the one I left at home.

I realized I could present the next day using my phone (which I did have both a charge cord a a dongle projector adapter along for), because my materials were cloud-based. (I ❤Google)

I figured I’d use the full keyboard on the computer until the battery died, to put the finishing touches on the next day’s project. And that I could then switch to creating on my mobile device if I really had to.

And then it finally occurred to me that perhaps this was Divine Meddling For My Highest Good at its finest. Maybe, just maybe, the best thing for me was to Stop. Working. So. Hard.

Oh, yeah… Trading struggle for ease, joy, and inspiration…

So I let go and embraced this greater adventure.

I ended up trading my happily-holed-up afternoon/evening of mainly working, for a happily-holed-up afternoon/evening of mainly rejuvenating. I completed my presentation. And I did a crap-ton of reading and writing, for pleasure!

Thank you, Guardian Angels and Spirit Guides, for Taking (my) Charge (cord).

It’s easy to envision the big picture, yet the adventure of it all lies in the moments.

When we can discover the blessings even in the most challenging of moments, we find ourselves transformed into a beautiful, wondrous adventure.

No charge.

How about you? What is one of your past moments that was really crap? Through the lenses of hindsight, distance, and time can you now see how it may have been part of a hidden Great Adventure?

Are you in a moment of crap right now? Might you find yourself in one in the future? Can you hold space for the idea that it’s actually in your favor, for your big-picture adventure?

I’d love to know your Aha’s, please share them in the comments below.

All moments of crap have really great adventures.