Lady unLuck

I planned the most amazing girls weekend trip this weekend. First, I bought four tickets to the True Colors concert featuring Cyndi Lauper, Deborah Harry (of Blondie fame), Erasure, the Dresden Dolls and more. A fund-raising benefit for the Human Rights Campaign. What better musical theme for a girls weekend than the artist that made "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" famous?

The concert was being held at the Borgata Resort and Casino at Atlantic City. I've heard tremendous things about this resort and its spa. So I reserved a room for two nights with the intent of a weekend of fun, music, spa treatments, a touch of gambling and a lot of female bonding.

Sounds fantastic right?

I searched and searched and found one friend that shared my idea of fun in this case.

So my stream of "unluck" began in regards to this particular weekend adventure. As the weekend began, a series of small details started to go wrong and I could feel the stress sneak up on me. Why was I being stressed out? Money. Since the trip was now going to cost me a lot more than I originally planned, I decided that it had to be an absolutely amazing trip.

And as long as my thinking went that way, it wasn't.

Early on during the concert, I started writing a blog post in my mind. Itemizing the issues that were not going as planned. Somewhere between being impressed with Deborah Harry's energy and Cyndi Lauper's astonishing voice, I erased that list from my mind. I made a conscious decision to enjoy the moment. The music was fun- and we were able to get pretty close to the stage. I had heard of Erasure, couldn't name their songs, but as soon as I heard them- realized I knew the words to some of their biggest hits. (Anyone remember this one or this one?) :)

I didn't experience a complete attitude adjustment right away. After the concert, I lost $90 in blackjack, and was frustrated with the fact that I didn't understand the slot machines. I think the loud noise and flashing lights make it difficult to focus, and when I'm not focused, I can get frustrated. But as I recognized this fact, I was able to "relax" a little bit into the confusion.

The next day was perfect. Spa treatments, relaxation at the pool, girl talk, walking the boardwalk and doing lots of people watching.

How many times will I learn the lesson about letting go of expectation? :)