A Tale of Two Thursday Nights

Two Thursdays now I’ve been stopped in my tracks. 

The first Thursday, I received an email that placed me one step closer to a lifelong goal and completely uprooted my plans. Suddenly, I had new energy and excitement around a thing that often feels unreachable. I was overflowing with adrenaline and found myself ready to take on the world.

The second Thursday, I ran straight into a floor-to-ceiling glass window bruising my face and leaving me with a minor concussion. As I spun away from the window, holding my hands over my nose, I didn’t understand why I wasn’t outside. After sitting for a while, I stood up and found myself breaking into tears beyond my control, asking my colleagues why my head hurt so bad. 

Both Thursdays, one week apart, I’ve found myself derailed. 

The first was one of joy and celebration and with one email, I truly felt like I could do anything I put my mind to. The second was one of confusion and shakiness and deeply uncomfortable pain. This most recent Thursday has thrown me not for the better. 

And while obviously, I’d prefer Thursdays with good news over Thursdays with glass doors, there is something to be said about the experience of completely needing to reset. In both cases, I had plans for the upcoming weekend—plans to relax or work or run or focus. And in both cases, those plans got delayed by more pressing priorities—prepare for an event or rest for my brain.

It may not be how you wanted to spend the weekend. But it may be the way you needed to.