There are days when life gives you exactly what you asked for—clarity, growth, inspiration. And then there are days when life hands you something else entirely… a fee.
A $12 house-sitting fee, to be exact.
On the surface, it’s a small thing.
But when I opened that email on my travel day, something in me snapped. My first thought wasn’t profound or poetic. It was honest:
“This is some bullshit.”
I said it out loud too.
Because it wasn’t just about the money. It was about what the fee stirred up inside me. It pressed on something deeper, something I didn’t know needed attention.
And that’s when the learning moment began.
The First Layer: The Frustration
Let’s be honest—I was frustrated.
Not dramatic-frustrated.
Not spiraling-frustrated.
Just that slow simmer of “Why does everything cost more right now?”
Travel already has:
- flights
- rental cars
- micro-payments
- rising interest rates
- airport fees
- and the emotional labor of being responsible in someone else’s home
And now the platform wants to add a fee on top of all that?
As a house-sitter who provides care, presence, trust, and peace of mind—for free—it felt insulting. Not financially devastating. Just irritating in principle.
And I let myself feel that.
Sometimes honesty is the doorway to clarity.
The Second Layer: What the Fee Revealed
Once the first irritation settled, something surprising surfaced.
I realized I was reacting from a lack mindset, not an expansive one.
Not because I don’t believe in abundance.
Not because I’m struggling.
But because I’ve been protecting money my father gave me instead of imagining the money my creativity can generate.
That realization hit me hard.
I was thinking from:
“Let me hold onto what I have,”
instead of
“Let me grow into what I can create.”
Protection is not the same as expansion.
A $12 fee shouldn’t have that much emotional weight. But it did. It exposed the mindset I was still working from.
Sometimes the universe uses something small to reveal something big.
The Third Layer: A Strategic Shift
Then another truth came forth:
This fee forces me to choose sits intentionally—not emotionally.
Not every sit is worth:
- the travel
- the energy
- the responsibility
- the cost
- the disruption
- the creative bandwidth
Some sits ARE worth it.
Some sits feed my spirit, my reflections, my writing, and my walking practice.
Others?
Not anymore.
The fee didn’t stop me from house-sitting—it made me smarter about it.
It reminded me that house-sitting is part of my creative ecosystem, not just a trip. It supports my:
- blog
- newsletter
- reflections
- podcast
- walking wisdom
- sense of expansion
It belongs in my business now, not on the sidelines.
The Fourth Layer: The Spark
Here’s the funny part:
If that fee hadn’t annoyed me, I probably wouldn’t have started working on my T-shirt idea today.
Frustration has always been one of my creative triggers.
It wakes something up in me.
My pattern has always been:
Emotion → Reflection → Clarity → Creation.
And today was no different.
Sometimes the spark doesn’t come from inspiration—it comes from irritation.
The Lesson: Everything Is a Learning Moment
This experience wasn’t about a fee.
It was about:
- how I see myself
- how I see my growth
- how I see my finances
- how I honor my creativity
- how I evolve my business
- how I choose what’s aligned
- how I let frustration show me what needs to shift
Everything is a learning moment—
if you let yourself feel first and consider second.
Nothing is wasted.
Not even the annoying parts.
Not even the bullshit moments.
They all carry information.
They all carry clarity.
They all carry potential.
I’m learning to see it all.
Reflection Prompt
Where in your life is frustration pointing you toward growth? Is it signaling a shift you didn’t realize you were ready for?
Author’s Note
This reflection came from a real-time moment of frustration that opened into clarity. I’m sharing it here because these are the moments that shape us—not the polished ones, but the honest ones.
If this reflection resonated with you, follow Sweet N Social for more stories on creativity. You will also find inspiration on confidence and finding your rhythm in everyday moments.
If you want the audio version of these insights, join me on Confident Strides: The Podcast. Every story becomes a moment in motion.
By Tonia Tyler | #ConfidentStrides | Sweet N Social
Life is about balance. As with any up there is a surely a down or vice versa. Without the rainy days we wouldn’t enjoy the sunny ones. These ups and downs are the waves that either bring or take away things for our good, even if we don’t realize it. Like our breath, the up and downs simply means life.
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