I was looking forward to a fountain drink. I’d been away and out of my routine for a week of relaxation. I had a long drive home and planned to stop only once, due to COVID precautions. But when I stopped, the convenience store had its own COVID precautions, including no fountain drinks. I should have known. I was on the edge of an urban area I’m familiar with and knew the chain hadn’t yet restarted fountain service. I had forgotten.
I waited until I was closer to home and broke my one-stop plan to pick up a drink I knew was serving fountain drinks. The problem was they were out of my favorite flavoring. I wondered if there was a fountain drink conspiracy. (Just kidding. I don’t take my fountain drinks quite that seriously.) I decided to get creative and try something different. Why not go crazy and try a combination of two flavorings? Of course, I couldn’t try it while in the store because of my mask. By the time I took a sip, I was back on the interstate. And guess what? It might just be my new almost-favorite!
Sometimes that’s what delays and frustrations invite: new discoveries. Can’t we all say that about things we’ve learned through this season filled with delays and frustrations due to COVID? We can’t eliminate those delays and frustrations, but we can find some gratitude in the experiences we’ve had because of our flexibility, perseverance, and creativity.
Let’s continue to persevere and grow through it all.
Pure Purpose 