Last week was our winter break, and I had PLANS. I was going to get back to the yoga studio, have a massage, and get tons of work done. And then my day care provider texted and said she was going to be out for the week because of a medical issue.

Waaaaaahhhhh!

It can be so hard to let go of what you want to happen, and even harder to favor the thing that actually is happening. I had to immediately temper my work expectations, be content with a home yoga practice, and forgo the rub down.

Mindfulness asks us to acknowledge fully how we feel, “Yes, self, that is a bummer.” We don’t have to immediately explain to ourselves why it’s fine, or how we should be so grateful we are home this week anyway. We are not very good at arguing ourselves out of feelings anyway.

And then, when we have fully embraced that disappointment, we are freed up to also fully embrace what else is true. I built a sweet fort that my toddler and I hid in. We enjoyed lots of snuggles. We read piles of books. She started working out bits of the ABCs. There were many delightful moments during my time with her.

But it took acknowledging my disappointment and consciously shifting my attention to enjoy them.

The next time you experience disappointment, feel your feels. Acknowledge the truth of the situation. And let yourself be open to what else is true.