My grandmother’s upbeat philosophy of life was guided by the simple phrase, When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. She was always a glass half-full kind of gal and wanted to encourage in everyone a positive can-do attitude in the face of adversity or misfortune. 

Her recipe for success: lemons may be sour but with a dash of sugary sweetness they can be turned into delicious glass of refreshing lemonade.

And she often hummed the Doris Day classic Que Será, Será from the Alfred Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much. There was something optimistic in her ideas about just letting the future be what it will be. But along the way I lost sight of that simple philosophy.

In my ambitious 30’s, 40’s I was obsessed with going somewhere, getting somewhere. Goal setting was a big part of that obsession. I had my 1 year plan, my 5 year plan, my 10 year plan, my big future plan. I kept charts and graphs. I kept calendars. I kept lists. Motivational speakers and workshops cajoled and cheerleaded me into consciously creating my future. A DAY-TIMER® purse calendar was my friend and time management  ideas help set my goals. I believed that by setting a goal and diligently working away at it was the best way to proceed. The Interent abounds with advice about how to get started. I took all of these to heart:

• Set Specific Goals. Your goal must be clear and well defined. …
• Set Measurable Goals. Include precise amounts, dates, and so on in your goals so you can measure your degree of success. …
• Set Attainable Goals. Make sure that it’s possible to achieve the goals you set. …
• Set Relevant Goals. …
• Set Time-Bound Goals.

 

The days leading up to New Year’s Day were spent reviewing my accomplishments, calculating my success for the year past and setting my course in categories for the upcoming — work, career, relationships, exercise, art.

But one year, at the cusp of the year, I had a life-changing revelation. As I reflected back, I realized that the best things that had happened during the past year were surprises, unplanned happenstances, not envisioned, not on my list of goals.

Serendipity was the key. (what will be, will be) Then, using the happy accident, maximizing the unexpected, became my strategy as I transformed accident into opportunity.

In 1999, meeting a partner/husband was far from my mind but, on the fateful day I met Richard, my whole life changed and so much for the better. On that momentous first date…

One of the great pleasures of going to the beach is in the not-knowing. Not-knowing what what will be found and what kind of creative response that find will inspire.