@2011 Photo by Linda SamuelsLife has mishaps. Stuff happens even to the most organized people that interrupt all those well thought out plans. I don’t plan everything. That's too restrictive. But I do a certain amount of planning and organizing. When things don't work out as anticipated, I enlist four coping strategies: humor, flexibility, positive spin and other people.

So, the "plan" this past weekend was to write, update financials, catch-up on correspondence and cook in prep for the impending snowstorm. Thinking I’d have a few solid days ahead to work, I gladly went out with friends for dinner, a movie and fun on Friday night. With list and plan in hand, on Saturday morning I was ready to get going. First, I headed to the grocery store. As I left the market, the snow was already falling quickly. When I arrived home, I put on music while I unpacked groceries and began cooking. There was a huge pot of vegetable soup warming on the stove and a pot roast simmering in the crockpot. I was happy and content as I sang along to the music, smelled the delicious kitchen aromas and watched the beautiful snow covering the brightly colored fall leaves.

The plan was moving along seamlessly when all of the sudden, the power went out. Everything stopped. The soup was done, but the roast had hours left to cook. Thinking that the power would be restored soon, I figured there was hope for the roast. I was wrong. Days passed. We had no heat, no power, no phone or Internet, and no roast.

The other work I’d planned for the weekend also needed electricity. The longer the power outage lasted, the colder our home got. It was time to bundle up. I wore many layers of clothes (I could barely move), extra blankets at night, and candles and flashlights to illuminate the way. On the positive side, no power gave us more quiet time to talk, sit, read and just be without the pull of electronics, beeps or buzzes calling for our attention. It was a gift- a tech-free vacation.

Friends and family extended lovely offers to use their showers, beds, warmth and electrical outlets. While we appreciated their generosity, we opted to wait things out. We went out to more movies, visited more local eateries and became Starbucks’ fixtures, hanging out with other locals out of power. I even met a USA Today reporter at Starbucks who interviewed me about how we were coping.

The power outage and its inconvenience were a disguised blessing. It made me grateful for all the times that life goes smoothly and closer to the plan. I realized that when life gets off track, friends, family, flexibility, humor and a positive attitude are there to lift my spirits, give me perspective and ease the way.

What is a strategy you use to cope with life’s curve balls? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Come join in the conversation.