just a little Tuesday morning ramble...

The other day I had a plan. I was going to fly back to Austin, be at my car by 9 PM,go grocery shopping, and get to bed early just to be ready for a full day of teaching 1st grade.

Well,first off, I almost didn't make the plane. Who knew there would be a wreck on the interstate in Memphis? not us. So, I was literally RUNNING through the airport to make the flight, only to realize it was delayed. Then I landed in Dallas. I saw where my flight to Austin was 'delayed' with no new departure time listed. I was hopeful as I headed over to Chilis to grab a bite to eat. Even after I left and saw where it was still just 'delayed' I was still hopeful that 'delayed' only meant by thirty minutes. Well, 4 whole hours later, we were finally in line to leave for Austin-only to find that there was no plane and no crew to get us there. Long story short, I made it to Austin a mere 5 hours after I was supposed to- in quite a cantankerous mood and in no shape to go to the grocery. Instead I crawled into bed and relished in the luxurious 4 hours of sleep I was given until my alarm went off.

So yes,I hit the day unprepared. Unprepared in the sense that I had nothing to wear for a rainy day,unprepared in the sense that I had no lunch food, unprepared in the sense that I was running on 4 hours of sleep and a nagging feeling that maybe I'd just rather be back in Memphis lazing around my cozy,familiar house.

So my plan, well it didn't quite go according to plan. And as I type this, I realize that things rarely do.

What I do think about and laugh out loud at is a time not too,too long ago when something similar happened to me. It was summer after junior year(high school), I was young and dumb in the way of things not going according to plan. I was headed back from a trip to Destin and leaving for a mission trip the very next day. My plane got delayed in Atlanta. ENTER MELTDOWN. I mean I just melted right on down. I wasn't going to make the mission trip,I probably would never make it home. It was To the point where I was heaving sobs. Some random woman in the airport bathroom had to pull me out of the stall and put a paper bag on me. Okay,maybe NOT REALLY, but I think she would of if she had known me better. You see at that point I didn't realize that life isn't something we control. So when it was not in my control I had an attack of gigantic proportions. Of course I made it back,of course I made the mission trip, but I want to kick the Mary Ennis of that day and introduce her to the Mary Ennis of today. The other night, when I found out my flight may or may not leave until the morning...what do you think I did? I did what any self respecting girl at my age and stage would do-I bought a diet coke,a candy bar and the latest Vanity Fair to hold me over until someone in the airport world decided my fate for the evening. I watched the Colts game and was screaming at the tv right along with all the men(talk about not in the life plane!). I just dealt. I dealt knowing that these things happen and the axis would probably twirl on if I had to catch the morning flight. In other words, I've grown up a little about this plan thing.

It's funny because I was going through old photos at home this weekend(home is and will always be wherever my parents are!). I couldn't help looking at them and remembering the plans I had when I was in 9th grade,in college, 2 years after college. My life looks nothing like the way I had planned. Nothing. And I can honestly say as I sit here in my brightly colored,single girl apartment that I can't imagine loving my life more. No,I didn't run away and marry my 9th grade boyfriend(as was the plan...special thanks to the girl that saved me from that life!),I didn't end up being the head buyer for Neiman Marcus(which was the plan in college),heck, I didn't even end up a flight attendant. I ended up in Austin,TX. Single,with a teaching degree I hadn't 'planned' on and can't seem to find a way to use,confused,excited,yet very hopeful about all things that the future holds.

I didn't plan on being friends with people like the people I am friends with. I didn't plan on liking the 'kinds' of boys I like. But I am,and I do. And so what. These people are my family here. They are the people who buy me toilet paper when my mom isn't here to,pick me up when my car won't start,listen to me have a small meltdown when things aren't going as 'planned',invite me into their homes for dinner,and just are there. For whatever. Whether it's a night out,a night in,a road trip,a pool dip,or an airport ride. These people weren't in my plan, but I can't imagine life without them. So maybe my life didn't go according to plan,but so what? It's better!

So much like I was unprepared for the day,when these big plans change, I tend to just be generally unprepared for them also. But what I've learned is that you just roll with it. You do what you have to do and make the best of every step along the way. I think that's the only way to handle being unprepared...kick into high gear and focus on what you have,what you can do,and the people around that are there to cheer you on,comfort you and love you.


Sure,we make plans. We try and make good decisions and orchestrate things the best we can, but things change,people change,plans change,life changes. And we can either flow with it, or curl up into the fetal position and refuse to go on. Which doesn't sound all that appealing to me. Or you either. That is just not living our best life.


So the one thing I know for sure about plans is that they change. And that's about the only 'plan' you can be sure of!