April Jeppson: You may get hit but keep moving forward

Published 5:53 pm Friday, June 20, 2025

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Every Little Thing by April Jeppson

Last week, I broke my pinky toe. It’s the only bone I’ve ever broken, so I didn’t know what to expect. But I have to say, as far as broken bones go, I feel like I chose the best one.

April Jeppson

Sure, I have to walk a little funny and avoid slamming it into furniture, but mostly life has carried on like normal. It’s more annoying than anything. And yet, somehow, it feels symbolic of this whole season of life: things haven’t fallen apart, but they’ve definitely required some limping adjustments.

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Fast forward to Monday. It was the day of our annual golf fundraiser, the one we plan for months. Like every year, we obsessively monitored the weather forecast leading up to it. And like every year, the forecast fluctuated every time we hit refresh. The chance of rain bounced all over the place like a kid with a sugar high. But by the morning of the event, it looked like we might get lucky, a perfect pocket of dry weather, right when we needed it.

That is until two hours before tee-off, when the skies turned gray and the rain started pouring. Not a drizzle. A full-blown downpour. Water was pooling on the course. I kept glancing out the window thinking, “Really?” One hour to go, and I could feel that familiar twinge of worry sneaking in, the kind that tries to unravel my optimism, thread by thread.

It would’ve been easy to spiral. Easy to panic or throw my hands up and declare the whole thing ruined. But I try to live by the mantra: Obstacles are opportunities. Not just in theory, but in practice.

There have been several moments recently when I’ve said, “Well, I’ve never had to deal with a situation like this before … so here’s a great chance to learn.” I’ve realized that the most resilient people I know aren’t those who avoid trouble, they’re the ones who can pivot quickly, laugh through the chaos and figure out a new plan with wet shoes and a broken toe.

I’m learning that happiness and success have a lot less to do with avoiding hardship, and a lot more to do with how fast we learn, adjust and move forward. The people I admire most, in work and in life, are those who are teachable. Who admit when they’re wrong. Who stay humble and open and curious. They don’t pretend they have it all together, they just keep showing up.

The rain eventually stopped, by the way. We had a beautiful window of sunshine, and only had to push the start time back a little. And while we did have to rearrange a few things and problem-solve on the fly, it all came together. The event was not only successful, it was fun.

Life will keep throwing punches, or breaking bones or raining on your well-laid plans. But like Rocky Balboa said, “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward.”

Albert Lean April Jeppson is a wife, mom, coach and encourager of dreams. Her column appears every Saturday.