Of undiscovered opportunity

How the cold muddy misery of that long-ago April could be transformed into beach sunrises and key lime pie with jazz...

2025 waited a whole six days before kicking us solidly in the teeth. Without going into detail, we opened our mailbox to find a sizeable package of stress, wrapped in layers of terror and tied off with a charming bow of betrayal.

Sighhh ...

As shock, anger, and fear surged through my body, I suddenly remembered a seemingly random moment earlier that day: I had stumbled across a bad review of our inn!

Our online ratings are 99% positive, but of course, I love to torture myself with the 1 % written by people who feel it is their duty to warn the world about the horrors of staying with us!

In this case, my trip down memory lane took me to a review written in April 2019.

I remembered the woman well.

For starters, I had tried valiantly to talk her OUT of staying with us. Even during the booking phone call, I could tell that she was going to obsess over every flaw and ... well ... an older building like ours has a lot of flaws (excuse me, I mean charm!).

Secondly, she and her friends decided to visit the Adirondacks during mud season which is never a good idea unless you're a scientist studying mud or you plan to hole up in your room and write a best-selling novel.

For those of you who live in warm climates or urban areas, let me try to explain this ...

At some point between March and May, the snow stops falling. As temperatures warm, enormous snow drifts on the high peaks melt and run down the mountainsides filling rivers and streams already swollen with melting ice. Spring rains add to the gushing waters and riverbanks overflow. Frost heaves out of the ground which is squishy and soggy from rain and melting snow.

In other words, mud season can be a challenging mess!

A few days before our esteemed guests were due to arrive, torrential rains turned our parking lot into a mud pit and flooded our game room. Wayne worked round the clock to get things in shape, but the situation was still a little mucky when they arrived.

For the next four days, we did everything we could to keep these two couples happy. We greeted them with homemade chocolate chip cookies. When a valve on the brand-new toilet in their room stuck, Wayne fixed it promptly with a side of complimentary coffee. When they complained about the temperature in the room, we drove out to the inn at 10:30 PM to personally adjust the heat. When they expressed disappointment that the game room was closed due to flooding, we gave them a discount.

(Imagine our surprise when Wayne discovered the two men in the party had broken into the locked game room and were playing pool in the dark!)

We breathed a sigh of relief when they checked out, but that relief was short-lived.

A few days later, the two-star review landed!

There, forever etched in the internet history of our sweet little inn, was this woman's rant about "terrible maintenance and service," a toilet that "wouldn't flush," and the game room that "reeked with damp smell and was very very cold." (Duh .. it was CLOSED for a reason!)

As you may know, bad reviews can be devastating to a small business. We were shocked and angry, but dear friend ...

What happened next, changed our lives!

As I read the horrendous review painting us as uncaring and sloppy innkeepers who "need to get it together," something snapped.

I stood up from my desk and heard these words coming out of my mouth, "Next year, we are going to be closed the entire month of April!"

Wayne looked at me in shock.

I stood my ground.

You see, we were ALLOWING people to visit at a time of year when it was almost impossible to give them the beautiful Adirondack experience they were paying for. In return, they were taking out their frustration and disappointment with muddy trails and dreary views by writing US a nasty review - because there is no way to review the weather!

I realized that over the years, most of our bad reviews were written during ... mud season.

But what about the lost income?? We struggled to make it through April WITH guests ...

Some quick research showed that we were barely making any money in April anyway as most people know to avoid mud season! By being closed, we could save the money we were spending on heating, groceries, laundry, and staff.

I divided our paltry mud-season income by 12 and that very day, I began shifting a little money each week into an "April" fund. My plan was to save enough money so that the following April, we would have the same amount to live on without hosting any guests.

What I could not have known was that in April of 2020, the entire world would be shut down in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. With no end to travel restrictions in sight, panicked guests began canceling in droves and requesting refunds.

HEAR THIS!!!!

The only thing that saved our business in 2020 was ... the APRIL FUND which would not have existed without that woman's horrid review!

If the story ended there, it would be good enough.

But there is more!

As we got back on our feet from the pandemic, I once again began to tuck money away in the April Fund.

By April of 2021, we were able to travel to Florida for two beautiful, sun-kissed weeks.

In April of 2022, we got really brave and booked the entire month in a sweet cottage on Amelia Island.

In April of 2023 and 2024, we again enjoyed a month of delicious food, long beach walks, and writing sessions we could only dream of during the busy season.

April of 2025? We already have our house rented - 65 days away but who is counting?!

DO YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENED??

One woman's bitter rant (intended to harm us) led us directly to one of our most treasured gifts!

Six years later, I am actually THANKFUL that she wrote that horrid review because it sparked the changes that brought us to this lovely place in our lives.

April is now our favorite month of the year BECAUSE OF HER!

Back to early January ...

Holding the kick-in-the-teeth letter in my hand, I recalled the "random" conversation we'd had earlier that very day about how the bad review turned into such a blessing.

Through the fresh shock and anger, I swear I heard a little voice whisper, "I wonder what gift this problem might bring?"

I still don't have the answer to that.

But if the cold muddy misery of that long-ago April guest could be transformed into beach sunrises and key lime pie with jazz, then THIS situation can also hold some hidden magic.

My good friend, Marie, often reminds me that every problem is an "undiscovered opportunity."

Or as the Bible verse I memorized as a child puts it, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done ..." (Genesis 50:20)

***

Whatever you're going through, my friend, stop for a moment and ask,

* What is snapping inside of me?

* What am I allowing to happen that presents a consistent problem for me?

* What change can I make - even if it seems crazy or impossible?

* What resources do I already have?

* What is my "April fund" - a way to be prepared with a different response the next time this problem arises?

Problems come to sharpen us. To build the muscles of our faith and creativity. To prepare us for new and beautiful chapters.

So let's face our "undiscovered opportunities" with new courage - knowing that even when others intend to harm us, a gift waits to be revealed.

I love you! Be well!