changes.

I am on the 17th floor of a hotel in Orlando, sipping coffee, watching the morning traffic zip along on the highways below. It is a little after seven am, the Florida sun is shining, and my fiance and I are on a last minute trip to one of my favorite places on Earth. Disney World.

So very much can change in six weeks.

On March 27th, my car was totaled in my first accident ever (some lady hit me head on). Two weeks later, I was laid off from a job I worked for four years. A week later I bought a car from a scam dealership, and learned that it had a bad engine. A week after that, I was in another accident with said car (another lady hit me, from the side this time.)

The past month and a half has just been an absolute clusterfuck. There was panic about money, since we were actively putting offers in on homes while simultaneously paying for a wedding. I accumulated an outrageous anxiety about being on the road. Whether I was driving or a passenger, if it looks like someone could possibly merge into me I would cry. Life really, really kicked me in the ass.

However.

Things tend to happen in threes. Bizarrely, once the Big Three came and went, my life began to align with the universe again.

I was offered a major position at a prestigious university, making $20k more than I made at my old job. The benefits are amazing and the people are friendly, and helpful. The car accidents inadvertently salvaged my relationship with my sister in law. (She was particularly sympathetic with the first accident, where she rushed to the scene in her own vehicle to assist.)

It was tough to see in the onset of all this but it confirms my belief that everything happens for a reason.

For several weeks, I was overwhelmed with fear, panic, and devastation. It really felt like I was not going to make it out of this tunnel — everything was so, so hard. If I couldn’t even drive myself to work, how could I make a living? How could I support my family? What kind of a failure was I, if I couldn’t even keep my job?

But on this side of six weeks… I’m seeing how silly that was.

The sun is shining. We will be walking along Main Street USA in the Magic Kingdom in just a few short hours. Next week we fly to Vegas for my birthday, to see my favorite band live. I have an amazing job and an incredible future husband.

Life is good.

When the Big Three come knocking for you, try not to panic. Embrace the changes as they come. Lean into them, and know that with some care and some time, this too shall pass.