I found out that my conference in DC is cancelled next week as the location has been compromised with the coronavirus. My first disappointment came this morning when I learned our Capitol visits would be virtual. Then by noon, the entire conference would be virtual. That means I miss out on connecting with old friends and making new ones. I am not going to spend some awesome time with my MO crowd, which always ends in great conversations, many laughs, and all kinds of fun. I am going to miss the PD and the opportunity for refreshment this conference represented for my spring sanity. And I miss out on exploring DC, something I absolutely love, no matter how many times I visit. Bummer!

But, after I finished my cancelations, I thought about the gifts this disappointment has given to me. I don’t have to leave Sunday morning at four am, but will have a Sunday to plan my son’s 7th birthday a bit better or get going on my taxes or just to take a nap and read all afternoon (we are expecting rain or I would be in my blackberry or strawberry patch cleaning or mulching my flowers beds for spring). I will get to attend some meetings at school I otherwise would have missed. I will not have the four days of backlog work to make up, which also saves my following weekend for more fun options. I will be there for P/T conferences, which I truly hate to miss. Even if parents rarely visit afterschool staff, it is a great time for reflection and making to do lists ta done lists! I will have additional time and brain power to finalize out-of-town events the following week. And I will have three nights home with my husband to sit beside him on the couch and to enjoy his snoring as I sleep in my own bed.

It is all about how I frame this change to my schedule. I can whine about the disappointment or look at the gifts that I typically take for granted and which I would have missed next week if my trip would have moved forward according to plan.