My recent mother-daughter trip to Tulum, Mexico was much more than a long weekend getaway, but when you’re a person that continually romanticizes and gives meaning to every aspect of your life, nothing is ever just “as is.”
A week prior to my departure, a quick weather check proved that rain was on the menu for the duration of my trip and beyond. However, fantasizing about the forecast changing to sunny skies and my knowledge of how sporadic and short-lived tropical storms typically are, fed me with the idea that I had nothing to worry about — a dream that would soon be a palmate leaf blown away by the winds of the early hurricane season.
Upon our entrance into the populated destination, we were greeted by gray skies and humid air, which made me grateful that I’d gotten braids for my trip.
The atmospheric conditions at the onset of our vacation were just a small taste of how unpredictable the rest of our time would be and reminded me of the fact that some things are just far beyond my control, and that I have to continue learning how to deal with that. Our first day fared pretty well after a slew of incidents that seemed to be working against our desires to relax and enjoy the short trip. The rain consumed our morning but was sporadic enough for us to stop the premises and fizzled into oblivion, thus allowing us to enjoy our afternoon and evening. Although it wasn’t the skin tinting sun we’d hoped for, the sticky heat was better than nothing.
Day two of our trip laughed in the face of day one in regard to bad weather. The next morning, we were awakened by harsh winds and rain knocking to get into our hotel room. And of course, going out was no better. The grass was flooded, and if you made one wrong move, you were likely to hit the pavement expeditiously. Having no choice but to carry on through the weather, (which, by the way, was worse than the weather in Philly) was depressing and quite literally thwarted any plans we might have had.
Upset by the circumstances and the subpar resort we stayed in saddened me and left me with no desire other than that of returning back to the states as soon as possible. Our “can do’’ attitude allowed us to try to make the best of the day, but the forces working against us were strong and persistent. We spent that entire day on the resort, trying to enjoy ourselves the best way we could, but the general consensus was that we were ready to go home.
We’d had hoped that the weather would be a bit better on our third and last full day, but because of the prior days we’d spent, we had little faith. That was until we noticed that the forecast had changed to 30% chance of rain as opposed to the 100% we saw the days before. Waking up that morning was like a dream. It was nothing but clear sunny skies and a sun that wrapped you up in its blossom immediately upon stepping into the abyss. My mother, being the woman she is, belted a few “thank you God’s” at the sight of the beautiful weather, and even though my response wasn’t audible, the smile on my face let *him* know that I shared the same sentiments. That entire last day ended up being beautiful and we saw no droplets of rain, but it did remind me of something very important that we often tend to forget… If you can endure the rain, the sun is bound to come out again.
In past articles, I’ve gotten pretty candid about the past year of my life and all of the ups and downs that have accompanied me on my journey, so it seems that the constant theme of this part of my life is remembering that good will always come after the bad and that you can’t necessarily fully appreciate one without having the other.
The first two days of my trip were more miserable than they should’ve been, considering that we chose Mexico because of its beautiful weather and the welcoming beaches, but on that third day when we woke up and saw the sun, the previous duds of days no longer mattered, and we were just happy to be able to enjoy that one day that we were able to fully enjoy Mexico in its essence.
My hope is that this article serves as a reminder that bad days and times don’t last forever, especially if you don’t want them to and that even though there will be bad days, the importance is finding the good in them. I feel blessed for the time I was able to spend with my mom on our girls trip, and I shudder at the thought of not having those sacred moments that we’d had solely because there was nothing to do but talk. The trip allowed me to get to know her better than I already did and I believe it did some of the same for her.
That being said, if your current predicament isn’t so favorable, take the time to try to find a lesson in it. Look to find the seeds underneath the soil and then ask yourself, “is it really that bad if I can find something to smile about?”
Disclaimer: The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the article belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author’s employer, The Philadelphia Sunday SUN, the author’s organization, committee or other group or individual.
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