I recently encountered a disappointing situation when trying to drive up Cadillac Mountain in Acadia National Park on Mount Desert Island in downeast Maine.

After spending most of our day at a beautiful, idyllic beach with streams, plenty of mountains in the background, the beautiful rocky coast of Maine, a crisp and firm cool wind blowing—we arrived at the gates of the mountain with great hopes of reaching the top’s beautiful view. Then we encountered an obstacle.

The attendant at the gate booth informed us that in order to drive to the top we would have to make a reservation online but inconveniently there’s no cell reception at the booths at the foot of the mountain, or in many places in the park.

This meant:

TL;DR We never got to go up the mountain.

Throughout our wanderings in the car we had a Boxcar Children audio book playing. It talked about Iceland and the myths and legends that the people shared and also spoke about the philosophy that they share regarding setbacks: Þetta reddast (pronounced ‘thet-ta red-ust’).

I didn’t realize it at the time, but that children’s book we were listening to corresponded directly with our situation. It means ‘don’t sweat the small stuff’. I certainly sweated the small stuff at the time, but upon reflection realized that it didn’t really matter in the end. What mattered is that we had fun doing all the things we did despite any setbacks we had along the way. We had a glorious time at the beach and seeing the scenery while driving around. We had a wonderful meal with a friend in Bar Harbor.

It may not seem like it at the time, you may have to go to bed and go to sleep, and reset, but eventually your frustrating situation won’t matter any more. Þetta reddast 🤷🏻‍♂️ It will all work out. And when you wake up, everything is gonna be fine.