Make Plans!

FB Post: Apr 25 2013


Good morning!  Ahhhhh, nothing like a good night's sleep.  And that was nothing like a good night's sleep. Ba-dum ching!  (I think I just heard the sound of 10's of people scrolling past me!  :D  )
What is on your agenda today?  Do you have fun things planned?  Do you have exercise planned?  Do you have time spent with loved ones planned?  Planned something to look forward to?  Well, what are you waiting for?  This is my monologue - are you still here? :)
Okay, looking at my calendar, I'm going to...go to yoga and run 3 miles (exercise, check!); I'm taking myself to coffee to study (fun alone time, check!); meeting with girlfriends later (fun time with loved-ones, check!).
I find my day so much more enjoyable when I have something to look forward to.  I mean, I don't mean legislating the fun out of everything with tight schedules (unless that's your idea of fun!) but just having something to look forward to can make all the difference.
Years ago, (and sorry if I'm repeating myself) my kids and I started doing "The Roses" at night.  What is your rose today (reflecting on something good that happened - thankfulness), what was your thorn (something you could change about your day - problem solving), and what is your rosebud (something you are looking forward to - hope and faith).  I make a concerted effort to do this daily.  It's especially important for teens who often feel like "what's the point" and despair in the hormonal sea they're swimming in.
And sometimes the best-laid plans don't come to fruition (anyone with kids knows that!).  But, I'm reminded of a quote that goes something like this: "If you don't make plans for your life, somebody else will."  Not sure who said it, but it goes with a poem my sister told me: "Love many, trust few, always paddle your own canoe."  I may not know what's ahead on the river but I'll do my best to navigate it!  Not control it - that's an illusion - but frame it for something to look forward to.  And, in my experience, the best times are those that aren't planned!  But, I guess the key is to just keep moving forward, looking forward. We've got one shot at this life!
So, what have you got planned today?  Whatever happens, I hope you give yourself the gift of appreciating exactly where you are.  Even if it's in traffic, at home with a sick kid, in bed sick yourself.  You've got a plan and life has a plan.  May you meet somewhere blissfuly in the middle!  Peace.