Disappointment.
You know that feeling when your hopes and dreams are dashed in one single moment? We've all experienced it and when it happens to you it truly does feel like the rug has been pulled from directly under your feet.
This was my experience this week, as we were told that the home we were going to build (at a budget that was already a stretch for us), was going to cost an extra $200K! You read that right ... not an extra $20K or even an extra $100K but an increase of 25% on the original quote!
To make matters worse, the initial "do-able" budget. which was presented to us pre-Christmas, came with designs for the house, and we spent the past 6 weeks going over these plans, visualising the house on site, making arrangements and getting really, (really), excited for what lay ahead. While everyone else was away camping or at the beach, we spent each hot summer day clearing the steep section of land in preparation for the upcoming site works. It was a labour of love.
So, when we were told the news this week, it came as a quite a shock. And we reacted in the normal way, a bit teary, a bit angry, and a whole lot annoyed!
Now, I know you will be thinking that I'm going to talk to you about positive thinking, looking at the bright side of this and being thankful for what we already have. This is such a first world problem, that it is almost embarrassing to describe it as a 'problem'.
Well, yes, after the initial shock subsided we did think about all the things we had to be grateful for, and this did help to relieve our disappointment. But what I really wanted to say in this post - as the title so eloquently says - is it's okay to wallow! It's okay to walk around like a zombie after you hear shocking news. It's okay to cry, feel annoyed and get angry. It's okay to be sad. It's healthy to feel emotions but the key is to surrender to it all and not dwell in this space for long.
So, once we had our rant, we regrouped.
What needs to happen next? Who can we approach for advice? What options have we not considered? How can we make this happen? Our creativity flew into action as we brainstormed options that we had never considered prior. We felt energised and upbeat and determined warriors, ready to move things forward again. All within the space of 24 hours.
My key takeaway here is that life happens! And when it does, it's okay to show emotion. But ultimately, it's our resilience, the ability to bounce back from these situations, that really makes the difference.
Closing the gap between the wallow and the warrior - that's what defines us.
Contact Sha and reconnect to your inner warrior!