When Life Happens: Finding Grace in the Unexpected

The Unexpected Twist

“Life Happens” is an expression we often use when something unexpected throws a wrench in our plans. Most of the time, I associate it with something negative — an inconvenience, frustration, or just plain bad luck. But is that really the only way to see it?

A Day Like Any Other

Let me set the scene: My day was full. Back-to-back meetings in the morning, an afternoon spent juggling work, school pickups, and my daughter's weekly doctor appointment. On the way home, we made a quick stop at Target for valentines cards for the class party and the grocery store for dinner ingredients.

By the time we walked through the door, I already felt behind — the usual rush of trying to get dinner on the table while squeezing in the last bits of work for the day. I was regretting my choice to make enchiladas on a weeknight (what was I thinking?), especially since my husband isn’t even a fan. But they’re my favorite, so I pushed forward.

Then, Life Happened

First, I burnt my hand while my husband was watching. A few seconds later, I dropped a large can of enchilada sauce — right into the middle of my pan of half-assembled enchiladas. Red sauce splattered everywhere. My youngest son, in his perfect deadpan voice, looked at the disaster and said, “Well, that’s unfortunate.”

I stared at the mess and agreed: yes, it was unfortunate.

Many of us, in moments like this, react with frustration. We blame someone, something, or even ourselves. We feel like the universe is against us. But here’s the thing: life happens. Good things and bad things happen to good people and bad people. Circumstances themselves aren’t inherently positive or negative — they just are.

That spilled can of enchilada sauce wasn’t out to get me. It wasn’t a sign from the universe. It was just a can of sauce, knocked over at an inconvenient time. The only thing that made it feel like a catastrophe was my perception of it.

Finding Perspective

In the end, the mess wasn’t as bad to clean up as I initially thought. Dinner was only 30 minutes late, which actually gave me time to wrap up my last work tasks while the enchiladas baked. My son, who had been waiting all evening to test out his new football gloves, finally got to go outside. And later that night, I took the time to pause, breathe, and read a book with my kids before bed.

When Life Happens, Pause

Life happens. And it happens fast. We can either fight it, resist it, and let it ruin our day, or we can take a breath, step back, and ask: what really matters?

• Give yourself grace. Not every mess has to be dealt with immediately. Handle what you can, and let go of the rest.
• Don’t sweat the small stuff. A delayed dinner, a mess to clean up—in the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big deal.
• Shift your perspective. As Brooke Castillo’s The Model teaches, circumstances are neutral. It’s our thoughts about them that create our experience.
• Be present. Life isn’t just about avoiding inconveniences. It’s about embracing the moments, however messy they may be.

Final Thoughts

I’ll leave you with this thought from Epictetus: “Don't seek to have events happen as you wish, but wish them to happen as they do happen, and all will be well with you.”

Life will always happen. The question is, how will we choose to respond?