I went to bed last night excited for my walk in the morning. When I woke up to thunder I knew I had to switch to plan b, which I am not going to lie was disappointing.
My walk is a small example of unexpected events that come into our lives and muck up our plans. Some of you are facing huge blocks in your road right now and may be frustrated, feeling defeated, devastated, or simple disappointment like I me.
No matter how big our plan b is there is one thing we all have in common, we have no choice. Plan b came about and it is out of our control. What is in our control is how we proceed and the attitude we choose to do it with. I could have woke up pissed off and let the rain ruin my day, instead I snuggled in and listened to the light drops hit our window and meditated.
What if you are facing a huge shift in plans like you lost the job that you dedicated 15 years of your life to. Well obviously this is a big blow to the gut. After you recover and get your breath back, you have a choice, sulk in the, “They owe me, I worked so damn hard.” Or you can start envisioning this as a blessing in disguise. Let’s say your family missed you and your wife was contemplating divorce because you’re never there. Now you have the chance to get back to what’s important in life, family and experiences, and choose a new career path that is conducive to that life. What if you start up a company and sell the wood projects you used make, ‘just for fun’ when you had time. Or you could go back to school and become that high school teacher you always dreamed you could be. There are possibilities in the mist of life changes moments, it is all in how we choose to take the news.
Have you ever been late for an event and then someone gets in your way and you can’t pass? In the moment you are raging inside, full of anxiety, and literally begging them to get the (bleep) out of the way. Then a few miles up the road a police car passes you going the opposite direction and you get this wave of relief wash over and you silently thank the poky driver. Or you run behind because your kid couldn’t find the right shoes for the outfit but then end up missing a horrific car crash that happened moments before you passed through the same intersection.
What ever your beliefs I know we have all experienced those times when plan b turns out to save us time, energy, heart ache, or our lives. In those times we have a moment when we think, ‘thank God that didn’t work out!’ Today I want us to start looking at our plan b’s as a detour away from where we really don’t want to go. We think we know the way but I truly believe we have guardians helping us out and when they see a disaster up ahead they set up a detour to save us the trouble.
Next time you are forced to accept plan b, say a little ‘thank you’ and be grateful that you missed out on the looming disaster up ahead.