Turning a “Dumpsite” into Dolphins and Butterflies

It’s been said that most unhappiness comes from unfulfilled expectations, but I wasn’t thinking about that when I planned a birthday trip for my husband. I wanted it to be perfect. I expected it to be perfect. 

For over 30 years, David had dreamed of going to Baja, Mexico for a fishing trip. I wanted to make his dream come true.

 I found an idyllic vacation rental in a small fishing town on the Sea of Cortez. It was advertised online that it was on the beach. I had visions of sitting in our vacation rental looking out over the sea in the evening, while toasting each other with glasses of ruby red wine. I imagined luxuriously sauntering down the white sandy shore together, after a relaxing day snorkeling at the beach. My expectations were high!

The flight into town was magical. The sea was varying shades of azure, turquoise, and  cobalt blue. I knew that this was going to be the trip of a lifetime—one that he’d never forget. We were ebullient as we grabbed a taxi to the vacation rental, but our energy sagged a bit, as we got closer to the vacation rental. There were  run-down, abandoned buildings and piles of trash everywhere. 

At least we are going to be on the ocean, I thought as we hauled our suitcases out of the taxi. However, once we got settled, there was a problem. The rental was near the sea, but in order to get to the beach we had to go through what David called the “DMZ.” It seemed like a dumpsite.

We had to fight our way through rusted pieces of barbed wire sticking out of the ground,  thick brush with long sharp thorns, piles of trash, large shards of broken glass and rotting sewage. And the “beach” was not sparkling white sand, but mud and dirt, with trash, beer bottles and broken glass.  After we clamored our way to the ocean, David said, “Look! At least there are some fish in the sea!” Then he looked closer, “Um . . . those aren’t fish. They’re beer cans in the water, reflecting in the sun.” 

 Later he said, ” Denise, look there’s a jellyfish!” And then a few seconds later, “Oh wait . . . it’s a plastic cup.” 

My spirit plummeted.  One disappointing thing after another happened. The perfect vacation that I had planned for my husband was turning into a disaster. 

There are turning points in life in which you have the opportunity to make a choice about how you react to negative circumstances. You can either choose to be a victim . . . or you can shift your perception of the events (which isn’t always easy) and trust in a higher power.  Even when things seem parched or not fruitful, stepping into trust can change everything.

 I was really bummed that the vacation wasn’t turning out as I desired. But then, as the sun rose over the sea on that first morning, I silently heard the word: “Trust.” It seemed to come from a spiritual dimension.  I took a deep breath, and let go. I realized that I needed to trust that everything was unfolding as it should. It was a simple, but powerful moment.  It was like there was a ripple in the fabric of time, and then everything transformed.

From that point forward, we had an incredible trip filled with mini-miracles … and, in fact, I know it might sound unbelievable, but we didn’t even notice the “DMZ” when we went to the sea. We knew that it was there, but we only saw beauty. We saw clouds of vibrant, yellow butterflies floating over the sea. We saw amazing displays of dolphins spinning out of the water and through the air. It was truly a remarkable trip and David had the best fishing of his life.

To me this is the power of trust. I could have spent the entire trip bemoaning my unfulfilled expectations, but simply letting it all go and embracing Trust…it was then that everything changed. 

So here’s what I know. It’s hard to let go whenever it feels that life is going in a wrong direction. And yet, in that moment when you take a breath in and simply let go and trust in a higher power, everything can change.

Sending billowing love your way. 

Denise