I used to be fairly quick at adapting to change. After all, I am a Gemini, and we’re known for being adaptable, curious, and social. Out of those three, I think I’m only curious these days!
My ability to be adaptable was recently put to the test in Mexico of all places. My husband and I are once again enjoying some time in Merida, a city in the Mexican state of Yucatan. This year, two friends came to spend a couple of weeks. We had a plan and several places we were going to show them. One day, we decided to take them to the Gran Museo de Mayan, a place we had found fascinating during a previous visit. We called InDrive (similar to Uber/DIDI, taxi, etc.). All was going well until our driver ran over a plastic bag, and we heard a bang and felt a bump. Or what turned into a series of bumps. We had a flat tire. On the freeway.
The driver pulled over and said she would call another car to come pick us up. My husband jumped in and offered to change the tire, thus saving us time. I don’t think he realized just how close she was to the traffic. So, while he changed the tire on the freeway in +30 temperatures, the driver stood and waved traffic into the other lane. I seriously thought this was the end. He was going to get hit. But he didn’t (although he did have to flatten himself against the car at one point as an irate truck driver refused to change into the middle lane), and after several tense minutes, we were on our way. Our driver dropped us off at our destination. We began walking up to the front entrance, only to be interrupted by a security guard who informed us that the museum was closed. Something about a power outage. OMG. Now what? The guard suggested we walk about a block up the street to Costco and look at the cenote in the parking lot. Now this was something I had wanted to see for quite a while, but not something you’d book a ride to go see. A cenote is an underground cave, by the way. A huge sinkhole. So, I was excited. It took a while, but we finally found the cenote. It was nicely fenced off with signage. It was beautiful. But you can only stare at a cenote for so long. Now what? We were stuck in a Costco parking lot on a hot day in Mexico, wondering what to do. We had come too far to just go back home. So, we decided to do what any good Canadian would do in a tropical country in January. Yep, go for a drink. It turns out that there was an Eladios close by. Eladios, known for its music and free appetizers, was a place we had planned to take our friends to earlier, but it didn’t happen. So, a driver was called, and off we went. Some great tropical music, a few cool drinks, and three rounds of free appetizers were enough to put us in a better frame of mind, something much needed after the day’s ups and downs.
A few days later we headed into the downtown core of Merida, excited to see the video mapping presentation on the walls of the massive Cathedral de Merida. We arrived, found a place to sit with a good view, and wondered why there weren’t a lot of people there. Turns out the show was cancelled due to a fashion show taking place on the same street. Aaargh! Now what! Again, we ended up having a few drinks and watching people go by. (There seems to be a pattern here!)
I know these changes to our vacation agenda are First World problems. What I am trying to say is that sometimes you just have to adapt. You must be willing to change your mind and your plans at the drop of a hat. Or a flat tire. Or a cancelled show. It’s either that or sit around and complain. Granted, Merida is a beautiful place to do that, minus the complaining.
By the time you reach your sixties, there have probably been many times when you were tested on your ability to adapt. It may have been a major change, such as a career, or a smaller one, like a change to a kid’s soccer schedule. Regardless, change requires that you think of another solution and then navigate all the detours that arise because of that. It isn’t always easy. As we get older, it is easier to get comfortable in a routine, and that stubbornness trait you’ve tried to squash for so many years starts to peek out. But developing or getting reacquainted with adaptability skills is even more important now.
We can’t always prepare for a sudden change, an unpredictable situation. But we can prepare how we will respond. Developing our adaptability skills will help lower stress, allow us to remain calm and focused, and open our world to a new way of thinking or doing something.
Easier said than done? Of course. Here are a few things to keep in mind:
Challenge tradition: break out of your shell, try something new, or at least a new way of doing things. Step out of your comfort zone.
Be aware of your surroundings: know where you are and try to envision things that could happen so that you are able to quickly resort to Plan B.
Be curious: if something doesn’t go the way you had planned, look at it as an opportunity to do something different.
Tonight, I was planning to cook salmon. We’ve decided to go out for tacos instead. Now that I can adapt to!
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