Flexibility; The Day of Plan Bs

My husband and I got a lot of laughs out of yesterday, at least later in the day. Let’s see whether the story is as humorous once put onto paper.

Weeks ago I made dinner plans with two friends for tonight. The three of us get together every two or three months to catch up and enjoy each other’s company. At 10:45 am I got a text from one friend that she couldn’t make it. I called to talk with her and got her voicemail. I called the other friend to get her thoughts. I came to find out she had an outpatient surgery the day before and couldn’t drive.

We decided to reschedule our dinner in the very near future and allow her the extra time to relax, rest, and heal. Ah, Plan B – now I had a spontaneous date night with my husband. I love dates with my husband!

This worked out perfectly. We are members of the Desert Botanical Garden and decided to go for the last night of the Chihuly After Dark exhibit. We had gone to Luminarios in the winter, so we already saw the exhibit; however, I wanted to go when the weather was warmer so I could enjoy it more. Here was our opportunity…so we thought.

Before the DBG came dinner. We had an Amazon Local deal for one place that was on the way to DBG, so we decided to go there. We hop in the car and have a hard time finding the restaurant. There is road construction taking place, so this isn’t helping us. We find a place to park and walk in the direction of the restaurant. We spot it.

After walking around the building, we figure out how to get to the front door and it is locked. We peek through the windows and it looks like this place has been closed a while and isn’t going to reopen. Ah, Plan B – we started talking about other options and then I had an “ah ha” moment. We decide on a place we hadn’t been in a very long time that was still on our way to DBG, Honey Bears BBQ.

We hop back in the car. We drive to our Honey Bears and it is open and not too busy. Woohoo! We enjoy our dinner and head to the Garden much later than we had planned. As we get closer we see a very long line of cars. We wonder “Are these cars in line to get to the Garden?” Rather than get in the line of cars, we drive by them knowing we can make a U-turn.

Sure enough, those cars were in line to get into the garden. In a city of 4 million people, it appeared that many others had the same plan as us – enjoy the last night of the Chihuly exhibit. Imagine that! We drove by the blinking sign telling us that the event was sold out. Ah, Plan B – now what?

We talked about all sorts of options. We decided to come home and walk to Cold Stone Creamery. Why not splurge on food tonight! It would be about 1.5 miles round-trip for the walk and it was a beautiful night out. By the time we got home, I decided we were going with yet another Plan B – I decided to make a treat at home.

Our Plan B Dessert was incredibly tasty for something I threw together on the fly. As we ate our last bites, I remember saying that some cacao nibs would have been a great addition. Oh well, it was still yummy. Enjoy the moment!

It just goes to show you how important flexibility is. I like to say that the best-laid plans often need to be adjusted. Life happens. Go with it.

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So, what was that Plan B Dessert? If only I could remember for sure. I had recently been making a simple and healthy version of Peaches & Cream by slicing peaches, adding some chopped nuts like pecans or brazil nuts, and splashing a little soy or almond milk on top. So, it was a variation of this with different fruit – I think kiwi, cherries, and apricots. I just remember it was super yummy and hit the spot!

by Michele Spear