Hello Sirchef - I have a relate-to-the-issue sort of story. Yesterday I participated in an online web training session and about 15 minutes into the hour long program the speaker got disconnected (we all heard a fax line going off then he was gone). I just sat back, watched the slides pass, chuckled at the things people were typing and shrugged my shoulders. At one point one of the participants made what I thought was a rude comment about how it was ridiculous and I thought, no, this is life. Sometimes stuff (different word can be used here) just happens - there was NOTHING I could do about fixing the problem (accepting the things I cannot change) and it was up to me to either continue waiting or disconnect and write off the training hour (change the things I can). I held on because it was clear from the conversations we were hearing that they were trying to work it out, some was funny, one guy typed the speakers name in all caps like he was yelling - eventually he came back, finished the talk and it was worth waiting for.

Sometimes things happen we have no control over and those things are the things I strive to recognize my powerlessness over and accept. Myself, I don't do the chat; I delve into reading here, or pm someone I've pm'd before just to say hi, how ya doing, you could say, chat is down so i'm writing you to just be talking, etc.

And yes, i believe things like this are a test, like you say, in reality it isn't a big deal, and yes also to there are so many bigger things thrown at us, (but I notice that sometimes the little things seem to be what drives me over the edge, odd eh?)