Toil, Trouble and...bubbles?

Picture this: a great morning had begun. I was fully caffeinated, had an easy school drop off with my daughter and well on my way to a productive day. I was ticking things off my To-Do list with the type of chipper, "the world is my oyster" attitude that non-morning people find repellant. 

Feeling pretty darn great. 

In an effort to really maximize this momentum, I thought that popping over to a local automatic car wash was a solid idea. Pay $8, roll through, check emails while the car is being scrubbed and shined. Sounds like a plan. 

So there I was, still feeling pretty darn great. 

Until the machine stopped. 

I was so engrossed in my email in-box - still feeling pretty darn great - that I didn't quite pick up on the fact that the machine had, in fact, totally stopped. And my car was completely covered in bubbles. 

I admit that I spent probably a few too many seconds thinking, 'okay, this isn't actually happening. It's going to start back up again...right?' 

Wrong. 

Covered in bubbles. Broken machine. Game over. 

In a scene that I now replay in my head to peals of internal laughter, I rolled down my window (bubbles sliding down, comically) peered out and said, "HELLO?!" Of course no one came out to attend, because there was no one there, being an automatic car wash and all. 

I drove out, realizing that I now paid $8 for the experience of having to figure out what the heck to do with a car completely covered in bubbles. 

I'll admit that I was pretty ticked off, and really embarrassed. In case you've never really thought about it before, let me be the first to tell you: it's really hard to feel like you have your act together when you're driving a car completely covered in bubbles. I was obviously the victim of a technical mishap and well, all my cool points went out the window. 

Realizing that this was now mine to solve, I pulled my bubbled-covered car into a nearby parking space, took a few deep breaths and found my solution in the form of a pool towel that I had in the back. It took quite a few minutes of wiping and wringing, but I did manage to at least get my GingerMobile road-safe for the quick drive home. 

My productive morning was...well, it was a wash. I got home, and spent the next 2 hours properly cleaning it before all of the towel-dried bubble streaks baked in the hot Vegas sun, sealing my embarrassment (and potentially damaging my car's paint) for all to see. 

I decided to table my irritation and take it as a reminder that no matter what we have planned, you have to expect the unexpected. Most importantly? You have to keep your wits about you and adjust accordingly. Sure, my plans didn't turn out as I had planned, and the bubble-tastrophe was a REALLY unwelcome wrench in the works. Big time. 

But that's just how it goes sometimes. 

When life suddenly covers you in bubbles, just stay nimble and move through it. Whether it's a relatively minor inconvenience like this one or a really major problem, spending time on the solution (rather than the emotional reaction) is the fastest way to get back on track. 

If you're in business and your social media or blog content is leaving you feeling under pressure, consider delegating those tasks to Digital Heartbeat today.  I'll always be nimble, engaging and productive - bubbles or no bubbles.