The Adele Concert from Heaven

The original plan was to come in March. But then Adele got sick and postponed the show. We said, “Let’s go anyway!” But within the first 8 hours, I get a call from home that everyone’s got the stomach flu and the kids are weeping for me to come back. As I rush through the airport, I notice my tum tum feeling a little funny too. Before I know it, I’m throwing up in an airport Chili’s and having nausea-induced panic attacks in the plane bathroom. It was, truly, the worst—and the kick-off to what would be a pretty brutal year.

Coming back in October was impractical for many reasons, and I found myself reverting to the old habit of self-shaming. “I shouldn’t be choosing a fun concert in Vegas. I should be keeping my head down and hustling for my family.” But thankfully, I have friends who say yes to the joy in life, even when it’s impractical. I have friends who take me as I am and don’t put expectations on me. I have friends who didn’t even blink when I said I wanted to celebrate my 35th birthday FIVE MONTHS LATE at the bougiest, dreamiest restaurant. And mannnn, we laughed and we savored and we chose joy over and over, and it honestly felt like warfare against an enemy who wants me to stay stuck, sad, and striving.

Then Adele sang me happy birthday, and my Canadian queen Celine was there, and I felt so deeply loved by God and my people and the whole wide world.

So my takeaway is: choose joy whenever you can. Be gentle with all the parts of yourself, especially the messy bits. And surround yourself with people who don’t want something from you—who just want YOU.

And maybe you’ll walk past your airport Chili’s again, and you’ll smile to yourself at how far you’ve come. At, by the grace of God, how much you survived.

(Insert a “hello from the other side” joke? Or too cheesy? Aww, heck… let’s choose joy. 😉)