Have you ever felt like you are waiting to be whacked each time you get up in the morning? Is the day gonna be a pain free, pop out of bed kind of day OR is there a fluff-covered hammer coming at you?

I feel like a whacked mole frequently.

If it isn’t my kids hating every effort I make to give them a happy childhood, it is my husband who just doesn’t get why I need to worry about my endless list of concerns, or it is the cranky guy at the gas station who doesn’t think I know how to put air in my own car tires. (He really deflates me.)

Here’s the deal. Whack-a-mole is a game. It is a game of chance (just like life).

We are always going to be the mole blindsided by a whack or taking a risk to enjoy the time when that hammer doesn’t come down. Sometimes, we are the ones wielding the whacks on the other unsuspecting adventurers. Whatever the case may be, we all have the potential to be a mole in this wacky world.

The silver lining is that the Whack-a-mole game of life gives us some special rules and opportunities.

1. You can (hopefully) always pop back up.
2. There will be tons of times that we don’t get whacked.
3. There will be whacks that end up being wins for us.
4. Sometimes there will be near misses to learn from and celebrate.
5. You can avoid being the one who whacks your neighbor through kind choices and positive punches.
6. Some of your misses will end up being hits in other ways.
7. You don’t need a quarter to play the game of life. (The ability to wake up and take a chance is free).
8. You never know where you will pop-up in the grand scheme of things.
9. There is probably always someone who has been whacked harder or by a bigger blind side than you.
10. You are not really a mole. You are a beautiful, talented human with way too many adventures to worry about what hammers might come your way.

When I began writing this post, I was feeling a bit down because of some whacks that I witnessed today, but now I think I am ready to pop back up and get going with my holy moly self.

Please let this message be one that gets you going again or share with someone who has had a few too many whacks come their way lately. Be optimistic that your day is going to be whack-free or at least positive about your ability to dodge, sneak past, or rebound from what ever punches push your buttons.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. Love your holy moly self. (Even though you are not actually a mole.)

P.P.S. I really do know how to put air in my tires and measure it with a gauge. Thank you very much!