When Life Trips You Up

October 1, 2025

If there were an Olympic sport for mishaps, I’d be standing on the podium this year, clutching my gold medal with a mix of disbelief and comic resignation. The highlight reel? Suitcases that staged a jailbreak, medical surprises popping up like carnival whack-a-moles, and the kind of “customer service” that leaves you questioning whether it’s secretly an avant-garde performance art piece about human suffering.

Retina tear right eye, fluid on optic nerve left eye, surgical repairs, injections, and it gets to continue infinitely (maybe). Add in not one, but two auto accidents (one a full total loss), a new car that wasn’t in the plan for 8 years, now a brand new car that is collided with just a week ago, all in just a few months, and voilà — you’ve got my personal audition tape for the Guinness Book of most Life Mishaps in one season.

Let me just say, it has been boot camp — emotional, psychological, mental, physical, and financial. Like all good dramas, it began at the “vacation.”

Eyes Wide Shut (Almost)

As if travel and traffic weren’t enough drama, my own body added its own subplot: a retina tear, followed by fluid around the optic nerve. An abrupt reminder of my non-vincibility. Fingers crossed, I can still travel. (YAY, no problem!)  The doctor advised: “Don’t strain your eyes.”

Pardon me, but… how exactly does one not use their eyes? They’re attached. This isn’t like leaving your phone in another room.

So I blinked carefully, stared cautiously, and braced myself for a pirate costume, eyepatch and all if it comes down to it.

"Suitcases that staged a jailbreak, medical surprises popping up like carnival whack-a-moles, and the kind of “customer service” that leaves you questioning whether it’s secretly an avant-garde performance art piece about human suffering."

— Martha Creek

Flight delays, cancellations, Lost Luggage, and Other Emotional Baggage

Flight delays are not all that troubling after flying more than 3 million miles over the decades. However, when it is delay, delay, embark, disembark, embark, disembark, leave gate, back to gate, disembark again, change gates, delay again, cancellation all over a 5-hour window — WHEW!  So off to sleep, come back tomorrow for a 10.5-hour flight to Barcelona. “Vacation,” remember?  

As I approached the friendly agent the following day, I asked for assurance, reassurance, and confirmation that my luggage was on this flight that I was about to board, as I was not confident due to the debacle the night before. He assured, reassured, confirmed, AND spoke confidently... out loud. YES, your bag is loaded on this plane and you are all set. WHEW!



"Radical acceptance rests on letting go of the illusion of control and a willingness to notice and accept things as they are right now, without judging." 

— Tara Brach

Arrive Barcelona, tired, long, cramped up (ya’ll know my size, right? Let’s say it is supersize...) to discover “no bag.” Stand in line for 1 hour with other pathetic, weary dear hearts to file claim to get bag. Claim filed, assurance given, bag would be delivered to our hotel that night. Bag on next flight from DFW.  Prepared hotel for the second coming and the critical nature of getting the bag that contains everything needed for 21-day “vacation.” Hotel called “your bag is here.” Skipped down there to the front desk like an Olympic athlete, jubilant and relieved. There is no bag.  A bag was delivered AND it was NOT mine. Company closed at this late hour. Began calls to American Airlines to find bag. Get support and plan for next attempt. Their response was “your claim is closed because your bag was delivered.  No, bag has not been delivered AND Please re-open claim. Began early next morning to find delivery company agent to troubleshoot and track bag. They assure me the bag was delivered. I’ll “sum it up” at this point. Twelve phone calls, eight of which began with “I see your claim is closed since your bag was delivered” nearly drove me to cuss. They couldn’t locate the bag. Did locate it (they think it is still in the delivery van), and the driver has other “things to do” and can’t bring it to hotel before I depart at noon. Will driver bring to port according to the protocols for lost bag handling? Don’t know and no guarantees. Off to ship. Notify Princess Cruises of the trouble and get assurances they will meet the driver. This happens routinely and not to worry.  Bag handling company finally discloses they brought to ship and Princess refused it. Princess assures, no way in Haiti did that happen. They receive “lost” bags ALL THE TIME. Ship sails, one last call to American to see what their plan is to connect the bag with me at next port and I not so kindly said, AND PLEASE DO NOT BEGIN THIS CALL WITH YOUR CLAIM HAS BEEN CLOSED. She laughed and said Oh no, I see you have a claim and I can see your bag is in Dallas/DFW. WHAT?????????? Surrender, surrender, surrender. How much will it take to actually surrender? Nothing more I can do, and after all, I have a set of clothes on my body. I can wash and wear repeatedly for 21 days. Not much hope of actually ever seeing this bag. 

Meanwhile, my toothbrush, deodorant, favorite flip flops, and dignity were all living their best lives, headed for the “vacation” in Mediterranean. 

And then, PLOT TWIST! The bag had somehow smuggled itself onto the cruise ship without anyone knowing, free of any tracking systems or human care. It lurked in a back corridor stock room until Anil, a saintly housekeeping steward with a mop in one hand, rolled it out like a magician revealing a rabbit. “Madam, is this yours?” he asked casually, as though he had just found a lost sock.

Bed Rest: A Forced Vacation Without the Fun

I am NOW all set for vacation, Praise be!! Until one casual, routine step on the stairs sent a knife-piercing pain into my right knee. No buckling, no fall, no reason, and son of a gun it hurt. That swollen knee, combined with earlier medical curveballs, sentenced me to 3 days of bed rest. Not the cozy, binge-watching Netflix kind. This was the “don’t lift your own coffee mug” kind, because every slight movement in said leg sent shooting pains throughout. 

"Bed rest is like being grounded by the Universe." 

— Martha Creek

Bed rest is like being grounded by the Universe. Instead of sneaking out, you conjure ways to skip going to the bathroom, just for comfort's sake. Ice, elevate, Tylenol, repeat. Surrender, Surrender, Surrender. How much surrender will it take? 



Man Overboard, Man Overboard.

During one of the only times I was able to sleep with all that pain, the captain came over the actual loudspeaker, the one you don’t ever want to hear on a cruise. "Safety messages. Man Overboard, Man Overboard." It was like I was in a bad dream and couldn’t wake myself up.  

Regretfully, it was real, and the crew spent hours and hours in a manhunt for the precious soul that had jumped off the ship. A crew member lost at sea. Deep sadness, regret, and yet again the necessity for me to accept the mystery of all things. My heart ached. The ship re-routed, skipping a stop in Mykonos to keep somewhat of a schedule, and I was heartened to believe that passengers would actually not complain about a disruption in light of this tragedy.



Auto Accidents: Déjà Vu with Airbags

And then there was the soundtrack of my year: CRUNCH!!. Not once, but twice. Two auto accidents in just a few months. Neither one my fault, but both reminders that my car must have a gravitational pull stronger than physics allows.



"Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you’ve lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that’s good." 

— Elizabeth Edwards

I half-expected my insurance company to send me a fruit basket at this point. And I am reminded again to spend more of my energy counting my blessings than I do counting my losses. 

The Art of Awfulizing

If I let my mind spiral, it goes something like this:

• Clearly, the universe is conspiring to keep me in bubble wrap.
• My car, suitcase, and eyeballs have formed a secret alliance.
• Bed rest will become a lifestyle brand, and I’ll be its unwilling poster child.
• By year’s end, I’ll be a limping pirate in borrowed clothes, driving a rental car, applying for customer service work. 

Oh, the drama!

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase." 

— Martin Luther King Jr.

Meeting Mishaps with Human-Heartedness

But here’s the thing: once the awfulizing is out of my system, I ask myself, How do I meet this without losing my center?

Life is a master improviser, constantly handing us scripts we didn’t audition for. What keeps us steady is not control — it’s tenderness.

When the bag is lost, we practice letting go.

When the car is wrecked, we practice patience, letting go. 

When the body falters, we practice compassion, letting go.

Spiritual practices — prayer, meditation, gratitude, surrender — become the ground beneath our feet when everything else feels like quicksand.

Resilience is not about becoming superhuman. It’s about remembering we are human — and laughing, limping, crying, and breathing our way through the absurdities of life.



On Resilience:

“Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it’s less good than the one you had before. You can fight it, you can do nothing but scream about what you’ve lost, or you can accept that and try to put together something that’s good.” — Elizabeth Edwards

On Radical Acceptance:

“Radical acceptance rests on letting go of the illusion of control and a willingness to notice and accept things as they are right now, without judging.” — Tara Brach

On Faith:

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

Life will sometimes hand us the unexpected. Sometimes it’s delightful, like a surprise visit from an old friend. At other times, it’s maddening, such as listening to three hours of on-hold music before the call drops.

We can awfulize — and sometimes we need to. But then, we return to our practices, meet our humanity with compassion, and remember: mishaps may be inevitable, but misery is optional.

So here’s to lost luggage, fender benders, stubborn knees, leaky eyes, and even customer service on-hold music. Each one — in its own bizarre way — invites us into deeper resilience, radical acceptance, and faith in the Presence that carries us through.

And maybe — just maybe — by the end of it all, we can still laugh a little, giggle, or at least smile in the surrender. Not in spite of the mess, but because we can see something bigger. 

I will, I can, we must.

Love,

Martha Creek

502-905-0783

marthacreek.com



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My October 2025 Special Gift for You!

And here is my special gift to you this month. Click on the box to open your gift.

New Events & Classes in 2025!

Immersion and Extraordinary Leaders Groups 

Deadline to register is October 3, 2025.

As some of you already know, October begins the next round of the two annual featured programs that I facilitate:

They each run for 8 months, and feature a monthly 1.5 hour group presentation by me, a 1 hour small group interaction based on the curriculum I have provided, and private sessions with me.  They both include optional virtual retreats in January and March that are 3 full days each. Two in-person retreats near Louisville, KY at a sacred site of the Sisters of Loretto are offered as well. Details are more specific below.  If you discern that NOW is the time for you to engage more deeply in your healing/transformation/liberation, join us.

 

Please listen to the recorded orientation call to answer most of the questions and contact Martha directly for any further questions or clarification. 502.905.0783, marthacreek@gmail.com



Extraordinary Leaders Orientation Meeting

(click on the image below to watch)

*Prices quoted in the video above are from 2024. See below for current prices.

Extraordinary Leaders Testimonial:

After taking the EL course with Martha, I felt like...wow...this is great but I don't know if I'm really getting it. Am I really able to heal at this depth and release old triggers? Months afterwards I found myself embroiled in a some dramatic conflict. I immediately turned to what I learned in this course and put into practice what had been taught about non-resistance and acceptance. I can only say that I would not have made it through this time with the grace and healing that happened if it had not been for this foundational work. I encourage anyone who wants to be liberated from their triggers and old repeating patterns to engage in this work! Even when you don't think it is working ...it is! 

Details are the same for BOTH groups: 

¨4 nights lodging/meals Retreat in Loretto, KY (Nov 2025 or June 2026)

(double occupancy/shared baths/no smoking campus)

¨8 Monthly Zoom Virtual Classes (90 minutes and recordings available)

¨6 Monthly Personal Phone Sessions with Martha (45 minutes)

¨8 Monthly Zoom Assigned Small Group Sessions (60 minutes)

¨2 Virtual retreats (3 consecutive days/6 hours per day – TBD)

$1300 for basic program and NO RETREATS

$1700 includes two Virtual Retreats (Both optional) $200 value each

$2200 Includes one in-person Retreat (2 optional) $500 value each

Deadline to register is October 3, 2025.

Monthly, quarterly, or in full payments are welcome via checks, Venmo, Zelle, or PayPal. www.marthacreek.com for credentials.  To enroll or with questions: marthacreek@gmail.com or call 502.905.0783

Immersion Group

Immersion Process: Utilizes “inquiry, contemplation, and IFS therapeutic approaches” as daily devotional practices. Textbooks are Loving What Is by Byron Katie and Listening When Parts Speak by Tamala Floyd.

Loving What Is — Four Questions that Can Change Your life

by Byron Katie

Listening When Parts Speak

by Tamala Floyd

Extraordinary Leaders Group

Extraordinary Leaders Program is "For developing our highest functioning SELF, featuring daily practices in Self Compassion" — and is based on the book: Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha by Tara Brach and Letting Go; The Pathway to Surrender by Dr. David Hawkins.

Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha by Tara Brach

Letting Go; The Pathway to Surrender

by Dr. David Hawkins. 

Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha by Tara Brach

“An important, fresh voice from the ranks of modern dharma teacher-writers.”—Yoga Journal

“A consoling and practical guide that can help people find a light within themselves.”—Publishers Weekly

“A clear, practical and caring guide.”—Sharon Salzberg, New York Times bestselling author of Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience and Lovingkindness

“Tara Brach, perhaps more than any other spiritual teacher of our time, deeply understands self-compassion: both why we need it and how to cultivate it. This classic is a must-read for anyone wanting to develop a healthier and more loving relationship with themselves.”—Kristin Neff, Ph.D., author of Fierce Self-Compassion

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