Ever had one of those days where things are going along brilliantly and then something happens that flips everything upside down?  Yeah, I know you have and so have I.  How do you bounce back when the rhythm of your day, month or year gets flipped upside down?

Today’s post is part of my “Lessons From The Trail” series where I relate life lessons learned from my time on the Appalachian Trail…

My life almost ended on May 14, 2000.  It was a beautiful day.  I had woken up with the sun and got an early start on hiking.  It was one of those days where the miles and the hours fly by.  Around noon I stopped at a road crossing and ate lunch.  As I sat eating my lunch a car slowly drove by then circled back around.  The man in the car asked if I was a thru-hiker.  When I told him I was, he sprung out of his car and carried over a cooler and a couple of grocery bags.  He had hiked the Appalachian Trail a few years before and was out sharing some “trail magic.”

We visited for several hours, sharing stories and laughs.  After about three sandwiches and several sodas it was time for me to move on.  That section of trail ran along the tops of several ridge lines.  Before I knew it, a violent electric storm was on top of me and lightning was shooting down all around.  With no shelter nearby I bushwhacked off the trail looking for a place to hide.  I came up to a 50 foot drop off and realized I had to just get as low as I could and take shelter.  I threw my metal hiking poles and my pack under a tree and laid flat on the ground under my tarp.

Lightning was crashing down all around me.  It was so close that I could smell the electrical charge in the air and feel the pulse of energy of the closest strikes.  I laid under my tarp thinking this would be the end.  That time in Virginia is still one of the scariest moment I have ever had in my life.  Obviously the storm passed and I survived, or I wouldn’t be writing this today.

After the storm passed I gathered up my gear and headed back towards the trail.  The day had been beautiful up to that point, and now it was even better because I was alive!  The rest of the day was absolutely gorgeous with rain dripping from the trees, birds singing and a gleeful hiker literally skipping down the trail happy to be alive.

I lived to hike another day.

(Tip: If you think you’re going to die don’t go off the trail where people won’t find you for a long, long time.)

In life, the storms don’t always pass so quickly.  It can take a LONG time for the danger, depression, or sadness to clear away.  Sometimes we can get so lost in the storms of life that we don’t even see the clearing when it appears.  I’m not a therapist, guru or life coach, but here are a few things I do to help get things back on track:

• It sounds silly but one of my favorite things to do when I’m having a rough time is “acting the fool.”  I might turn the radio up real loud and dance like a fool with the babies.  Sometimes I’ll make up a costume and chase the girls around.  I will pretty much do anything to recognize that there is more to life than the current problems.  (Plus the laughter of children is some wonderful medicine and a silly Daddy is much better than one who takes out the problems of the world on his children.)
• Singing…usually really loud and horribly.  Yes, I might very well be one of those people you have seen going down the road, rocking out, flailing around.  I’ve seen a lot of unhappy people with scowls sitting in their cars, but I have never seen someone who is ‘rocking out’ that looks like they are having a bad day.
• This one is a whole lot calmer…but is an important part of my life.  Prayer.  You can bet your bottom dollar that I was doing a lot of praying under that tarp as the lightning strikes were crashing all around.  Today I also pray a lot when dealing with various struggles and issues.
• Visualizations are also a big help for me.  There are things that people do in life that are really going to make you mad, but in the long run there is nothing you can do about their choices and behavior.  Harboring anger and hate will only ruin your day and make no difference in the situation.  In cases like that I have been known to print out the email, message or offending statement, wad it up, and visualize my anger going with it as I throw it away and let it go.  Sounds a little crazy, I know, but it works for me a lot of times.
• And finally, sometimes it just helps to vent about it for a bit.  Having a good friend, peer or spouse to vent with is a blessing.  Obviously avoid saying bad things about people if you can.  But sometimes we just need to talk it out and let it go.  Please make sure not to dump on your spouse the moment you come home from work.

How do you get your day, week, month or year back on track when things have gone bad?  I’d love to hear from you in the comments section.  And if you share this post that will expand the conversation.  I hope you’re having a great and blessed day!