Have you ever heard Woody Allen’s saying, “If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.” Isn’t that the truth? You make plans, but they don’t work out like you had thought. This situation happens all the time. You envision getting a job, going on a trip, or even future relationships and things don’t work out exactly like you planned them in your mind.
It happened this week to me. I had been looking forward to a small weekend trip that we had planned for a long time. We had made arrangements with others, hotel reservations and I had pretty much packed and was ready to go. On the contrary, the weather and some other circumstances changed it all. I was super bummed! I pouted for a bit and I think I actually felt sorry for myself.
Then I heard in my head….Get over it, Keli! PLANS CHANGE!
I shook it off and moved on with my day like normal. Out of the blue our son showed up in the doorway and said, “Mom, let’s go play golf!” Golf? I hadn’t played in 27 years, but I was game! “Let’s GO!” So, along with my husband, we got ready, got our stuff in the carts, played decently, got some great pics, laughed hard and had so much fun! I think I might have picked up a new hobby!
That night after golf, I got a text from our daughter asking if I wanted to go to a movie the next day. A Movie? I had not been to a movie in a theater in YEARS - thanks NETFLIX and HULU! “Sure, I’ll go to a movie with you!” We sat in the theater in our recliner chairs (when did they do this?) and shared popcorn drinking ICEES! We laughed and talked a bunch about when she was little. I was grinning ear to ear the whole time! I was having such a great time!!!
I smile thinking back to my weekend. It WASN’T what I had planned. It was better! I think sometimes life has different plans for us than we do. We get so caught up in making the details and creating itineraries that we stress ourselves out. We organize steps A , B, C and don’t just let life happen.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I am for an organized plan and dates on a calendar. It keeps me sane, but just going with the flow this weekend produced memories I will never forget and always cherish. Remember, sometimes “our” plans aren’t really what is supposed to happen in our lives. Who knows, by being open and flexible to something new, what you end up doing or who you end up spending your time with could be so much more than what you could have hoped for!
What about you? How detailed are your life plans? Has having such detailed plans ever caused conflict or does it always help you? Are you up for an impromptu trip, weekend or night out? If you are a planner, I challenge you to change it up and do something you wouldn’t normally do. Don’t make set plans, flip a coin to make some of your decisions and most importantly… HAVE FUN!