DAY 18 of 50 – Even the Best Laid Plans

Life Happens. Sometimes, even when you think you have everything mapped out the way they’re supposed to go – well, Life Happens.

   That doesn’t bode well with someone like me that is a Planner – maybe a bit too much of a Planner. When this weekend’s plans got changed, it was hugely disappointing. I had been looking forward to it and making plans for it for a month, and my travel companion changed the plans at the very last second without any discussion. I understood the reasoning, but just trashing my weekend plans behind my back – well, it felt unfair. And that’s when I realized that life is sometimes unfair, and sometimes others change my plans – and I’m learning to handle the unexpected better, but it’s a struggle for a Planner like me.

   Admittedly, Planning is a good thing. I started my career at Franklin Covey – and that’s a place where planning is not only encouraged, but mandatory. And having been a Project Manager there, well, that whole job is all about planning things out – and making sure that things go according to plan. It was my job to make plans and see that they were carried out – and it’s a job I was good at, very good at. I was frequently praised and rewarded for my Project Management work, and it’s those skills that have helped and benefitted me in almost every job I’ve had in my career.

   But life isn’t like that. Certainly, one of the lessons I’ve learned over the years is that Life Does Not Go According to a Plan. When Mom died, that was not the way it was planned. When I tried to get pregnant and battled infertility for years, that did not go according to plan. And certainly my divorce and annulment are clear indications that even the best laid plans sometimes go off track.

   So, the weekend plans were cancelled on me, and the promised alternate plans never materialized. I even tried to come up with a few other options, but those got shot down too. Yup, it’s frustrating and unfair when someone comes along and messes up your plans without your permission. But that’s life, and my life has certainly not gone according to plan.