As I lay here on the couch on this slightly overcast Saturday, beach outing in flux, evening fireworks subject to cancellation due to passing thunderstorms, I am once again reminded that plans—as much as we continue to believe we have the complete autonomy to make them—are but a rough outline of the reality which so often befalls us.
Summer is barely underway, yet it’s already shaping up to be a season of surprises. Who’s to say what the next two months will bring? Certainly not me.
The basic human flaw, as I see it, has always been this need to control things, to map out a day, a week, a month, a year, an entire life . . . when, in actuality, we would be better served simply by being grateful for the opportunity to give it another go, to learn from our mistakes, to pick ourselves up and dust off the disappointments that tend to cloud even the most meticulously planned of moments.
The key is not to see these obstacles as failures, but merely speed bumps along the way to better outcomes; curves in the road that we had best navigate with care, eyes wide open in anticipation of the next potential pothole.
And with that, all surprises need not be negative, and are often pleasant glimpses into a future we hadn’t yet given ourselves permission to dream. It’s all about perspective, a constantly evolving interpretation of life’s manifestations.
Of all the clever quotes and words of wisdom I’ve absorbed through the years, the one which tends to resonate most comes not from an ancient philosopher or a famous poet; rather, it is a line from a favorite film—or book, for those readers among us—The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Enjoy it. Because it’s happening.
{But bring an umbrella, just in case.}
Published: June 29, 2019