Lost and Found…Really?

I am officially lost.

In fact, you know you are officially lost when you receive an email from one of your trade groups and you have no idea why they sent you a particular email, or how this invitation to join a group within the trade group is different from other groups within the trade group, or worse...how to even respond to the invitation.

And I do mean literally…I could not respond using the method of response they prefer. If I hit the response button, the screen goes blank. If I copy and paste the email addresses I receive an *undeliverable* message in return. To whom do I address my questions? I am so lost I don't even know the right questions to ask.

See? It is not easy being lost. And it is only Monday. I can hope it will get better as the week goes on, but instinct and past experience lead me to believe it will only get worse.

If Mondays start out right, the week is guaranteed to be okay. But if the week begins with trying to untangle a confusing issue, then I know from past experience the rest of the week will slide into chaos.

Simple explanation for this phenomenon? I hate confusion and the feeling of incompetence when it comes to technology. I will spend all day either figuring out what I am supposed to do with this new invitation/email, or waiting for a more competent computer person to arrive home and lead me through the steps.

And, if past history is any guide, frustration will set in after a few hours. I will feel angry, very angry. Then, when this competent computer person patiently shows me what I am doing wrong, I will become more upset that I allowed a lack of computer competency to ruin a perfectly rainy day.

Looking deeper, though, there is an easier explanation for why I allow frustrations to boil over. I cannot trust that everything happens for a reason. I cannot trust that what is lost will be found...at some time, on His time. I am impatient, I am quick to flare up with self-recrimination, and I am dogged (some would say stubborn) when it comes to trying to find a solution on my own.

Another reason for feeling lost is the impending arrival of the holiday season. One week will herald in Advent! As usual, I am at a loss to find the candles I bought on sale, in January, and packed away in boxes which never were organized...even though organizing these boxes were my number one resolution of 2013. I guess I lost that one somewhere in between Easter, my son's wedding, and a flooded basement. Yes, 2013 resolutions, like many other resolutions over the years became misplaced and forgotten.

As my better half cheerfully points out, though, creating my 2014 resolutions will be easier.

Being lost when it comes to everyday frustrations is not something to lose one’s temper over. Sometimes getting lost is the pathway to meeting new friends, better ideas, patience…and less stress. If nothing else, I am learning to take a deep breath and walk away for a bit. I am discovering that doing something totally unrelated is a wonderful means of losing frustrations and finding calm…minus any guilt.

Do you have a suggestion or a fallback plan to keep calm this Advent?