Today’s blog was going to be a bit late because I was scheduled to go play golf with a friend this morning. I did the prep: I hydrated the night before; I laid out my clothes so I wouldn’t need to find them in the wee morning hours; I put my clubs in the living room so I they would be ready. I even set my alarm to wake up early so we could beat the heat. I was ready.

Then my friend texted to let me know that he was getting sick so we would have to postpone.

It doesn’t matter how much we plan. I was planned out for the golf trip, honestly. But when push came to shove, all my preparation didn’t make a difference. We aren’t going because something beyond our control flexed on us!

You might be cruising down the road of life and feel like your recovery is locked and loaded, and the life flexes on you. How you react is the important thing. I could have stomped and screamed about not going golfing, but what good would that do? I could have gone on my own, but the combination of my poor eyesight and worse golf skills mean I would lose a ball almost every time I took a swing, so that’s a bad idea. Instead, I’m sitting at my favorite table at Starbucks enjoying coffee and free air conditioning. I’ll get some writing done on the next book. I’ll see people (like my daughter who just walked in). I’ve got plenty of good alternatives.

What I won’t do is crash out or relapse over a bump in the road. Hills and bumps make the roller coasters more fun. But keep that lap bar tight on your legs. Here comes the big hill, let’s get ready to…

—Rise Up!!