Last August, my fourteen-year-old grandson and I started to plan a post-COVID trip to Washington, DC.

We both love history and are amongst the group of people who read all the signs of historical significance.

The trip was planned as a three-day spring break weekend filled with historical museum hopping.

I started the spreadsheet with all the museums we wanted to visit and created the travel budget as a teaching tool. 

In February, I started to get a bit concerned that the museums weren’t yet open, even at minimum capacity.

By April 1st, I felt sure that announcements would be made and that doors to the museums would be open; that didn’t happen.

I am not one to go back on my word and like to persevere, so on April 8th, we flew from Charlotte, NC to Dulles International Airport and took an Uber into the city. 

Once we entered DC, it was clear that the once vibrant city was resting for so many reasons, and COVID was just the beginning.

We settled into the hotel and set out on foot with a cloud of disappointment encircling both of us. 

We both acknowledged the dark cloud of disappointment and stopped in front of the Smithsonian Castle to discuss our thoughts and feelings.

Yes, we had planned for an action-packed weekend visiting museums that we had longed to see, which was not going to happen. 

We made a pact that we would still have an amazing weekend, even though it was not the one that we had envisioned.

I stopped mourning my beautiful plan on the excel spreadsheet, and he stopped fretting that he wouldn’t be able to share information about the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum with his Nana.  

The mood lightened for both of us, and we were once again off on foot (traveling 23,000 steps in two days) looking for adventure.

We hopped on and off of the Big Bus Tours and saw all the monuments and points of interest.  

The bus trip was so good that we signed up for a night tour and saw The Pentagon, Arlington Cemetery, and our favorite, the Lincoln Memorial, all aglow in the darkness.

The International Spy Museum was open, and we spent close to four hours learning about espionage (don’t walk, run to this museum).

So what is the lesson? 

Life might not happen as we plan, but we get to decide how to handle the disappointment. 

What did we learn?

We learned that a sexagenarian and a teen can discuss disappointment, live in the feeling for a while and then get busy with a new plan.

We also learned that we were glad that the museums weren’t open because we got the opportunity to learn about history--- outside the walls of a museum.

Life is filled with disappointment, and it took me loads of training and coaching to understand that I always have opportunities to control my thoughts to reach a suitable result.

If you want guidance on how to handle disappointment, click to book a no-charge 45-minute session Booking — Nancy Beard Coaching and Motivational Speaking (nancybeardcoachingllc.com).

I am a life coach who works with women in non-profit and have a Facebook group that you can join and make new friends. We hope you will join the group, introduce yourself, ask questions, advertise a position you have available within your organization, or if you are looking for a job, share what you are looking for with close to 500 women. https://www.facebook.com/groups/689653655178414/about/

Have a wonderful week.

Joyfully,
Nancy Beard