Waiting - A Test in Timing and Patience

I like to make plans. I think we all do. We see what it is we want to accomplish, we set a timeline, we urge ourselves forward. So often, just when we hit our stride and begin to taste the first fruits of our efforts something comes crashing in to stop everything. Is there anything more frustrating?

A few recent examples. So many people I know who have been derailed from their plans with the flu this winter. I set a goal to have a morning ritual at the beginning of the year. I was so dedicated, I was loving this daily breakfast for the soul. I had made it a habit and I was growing. Then I got sick. I did okay for a few days then at some point I woke up a few days later to realize I'd been really out of it and my perfect attendance with morning rituals was ruined.

I signed up for Mondo Beyondo in November. After the success of my Blogging Your Way class last fall I was really excited to jump into a new class at the beginning of the year. I made it through two days of class before I got sick and have not had the energy to revisit it since.

The Man was headed out of town and could not find his wallet. After a good hour of tense looking for it, it was no where to be found. The Little Bug and I sneaked into another room and each said a little prayer to help find the wallet. A few minutes later, out of my mouth came the words, "You were wearing the blue jacket." I have to say I have no idea where that came from. I thought he was wearing the green jacket, but when he ran to the blue jacket, the wallet was inside. He was indeed wearing the blue jacket, not the green as we all thought.

My point? I think there are times and seasons for things in our lives. Things just don't unfold the way we want. I have been so happy to be able to spend a little extra time with my morning rituals the past couple of weeks as I continue to recuperate. It's been nice to have some things to inspire my mind as my body heals. I've been able to enjoy a few extra pages each day and as my energy renews, renew my spirit.

I tried to decide if I should just try to push through my classwork or write to the teachers and ask if I they would be offering the class again soon. If there wasn't a class for a few months I thought I would just try to catch up in the last couple of weeks. After contacting them, they told me the class would begin again March 14. A perfect timeframe for me to begin the class again - a few more weeks but not too many weeks.

I think sometimes our higher power just knows when it's a good time to be on the road in traffic and when it isn't. Apparently it wasn't critical for the man to get on the road at the hour he had planned and we had a good experience finding the wallet together.

Some days missing our exit may lead us to something we never would've found otherwise. Sometimes our way may be more exhausting than if we just slow down and go with the flow. Some days we may avoid danger, by just letting interruptions slow us down a bit. Maybe we'll run into someone we would not have seen otherwise who will change the course of our lives. Perhaps someone in our life needs us today and what we thought needed to get done really doesn't get done after all.

There are a lot of blessings to had by just going with the flow, being patient and looking for a purpose in things that slow us down, change our course, alter our view. I bet you have had the same kinds of things happen in your life. I'd love to hear about them.

photo by kalanicut