Have
you made your New Year’s Resolutions?
I
love the New Year. Those big blank pages
of my desk calendar are wide open with opportunities yet unknown. As I have grown older, though, I have focused
less and less on an itemized list of good intentions and more and more on goals
and plans.
This
morning, though, as I waited for the sun to rise over the ocean, it dawned on
me that 2014 is pretty much a mystery. Five years ago, when I embarked on what I hoped
would be a career change and a return to Philadelphia,
I envisioned I would be moving from Cape May to PA about
this time. Even just last year, I had
set my sights on living in Pennsylvania
full time by January
1, 2014.
Still,
I have reaped the benefits of many a
five-year plan. From my college degree
to my professional designation to my business plan, I have outlined my goals
and dreams and have made amazing progress.
For me, those five-year plans were never a rigid set of tasks to
accomplish or hurdles to overcome.
Rather, they have been a lattice upon which my life has grown.
I
must admit, though: the next five years
have me stymied. Coming up with a new
five-year plan wasn’t part of the old five-year plan…at least not where the old
plan ended up. In some ways, 2013 closed with a cliff-hanger.
But
I’m not scared. Like those blank
calendar pages, the rest of my life is just waiting to be lived, loved, and
written. I can’t wait to see what develops.
What
about you?
Sometimes it's good to just see where life takes us. I know that the journey will be interesting and well worth it..for each of us! Happy New Year, Mary! Too funny that you posted a Dan Fogelberg song - I've been on a "Dan" kick lately - even set up a Pandora station of his music.
ReplyDeleteMary, I think plans are good for some things but I also know that life throws curve balls that require you to go in different directions. I think you found that out this year. My life in 2014 is already booked with a few interesting life events: my son's wedding in May and an adventure vacation to Panama and Costa Rica in February. I am committed to 225 work days. What I will do on those 140 days to call my own? I hope mostly learning, growing, and being with people I care about. Happy New Year to you and all the 4 Broads readers.
ReplyDeleteMary, this post reminds me of our mutual friend who has said to me more than once, "You can plan plans but you can't plan outcomes." And, also reminds me that there are always solutions we can't foresee. Glad you have you back in the neighborhood :)
ReplyDelete