As a Mom, I Refuse to Have a Five Year Plan

It's very hard for me not to plan. I am a planner by nature with my overly A-type personality. I like lists, upon lists, upon lists, and I enjoy completing each task only to cross it off the list. But if I have learned one thing from being a mother, it is the appreciation for time. In college I was always looking towards my five year plan, until my five year plan changed and I created a new five year plan. Every interview after college posed this question to me, but there were many times when it seemed unrealistic. Even my "go-getter" personality questioned our need to continually plan, instead of living in the moment. But I assumed, my apprehension was just a fear of not completing my proposed five year plan.

Now that I have a family with a wonderful husband and four little blessings, there is no need for a five year plan. Yes, we plan for a loving home for the children, and to provide good schooling, but overall, we have no idea where we will be in five years. Each and every day is a gift. Where I am today, is not where I was last year or anywhere I expected to be. Last year at this time, I had a newborn baby and was suffering with postpartum depression. By the grace of God, a supportive husband, the love of my children, and an amazing friend, I got through it and learned many lessons in the process. I had never expected that within a year we would sell our home and be in the process of building a new home to fit our growing family. Life definitely throws us curve balls, but this is what I have learned to accept and also love. I have found comfort in knowing that I don't have control of each and every aspect of my life - interestingly enough, this gives me consolation. Each day brings new joys and new challenges, but I am blessed to have another day with my family and friends and to accept each season of my life.

Linked Up with Mom Life Friday

So for all of you who already decorated for Christmas and are focusing on the month of December. Yes, there are lights already lights up in our neighborhood. I refuse to fall in with the norms of society, I will be the contrarian. November is the month where I can enjoy these last remnants of fall weather, a time when my children can still play outside without having to bundle up in multiple layers, a time when I can enjoy my pumpkin spice latte (don't ruin this for me, people), a time for me to prepare for the season of Advent that is about to come before Christmas, and a time for me to enjoy each day as a wife, a mother, a friend, and a fighter, because I refuse to look too far into the future. As we all know, none of us can predict the outcome. So let's be like out dear, sweet children and enjoy the moments, because they are much shorter than we realize, especially if we are always preparing for the next best thing. What will be left if the next best thing never comes?

The Active Virtue of Patience in Busy World

Most of us would think that the idea of crossing a road should be pretty self-explanatory, if not, then you should have learned that as a pedestrian, crossing the road when the cars have a green light is mostly likely not a good idea. It's actually probably a horrible idea!

Yes, of course I have a story to back up this post about crossing the road. Several days ago, while waiting for a light to turn green I noticed a woman standing at the corner ready to cross the street. Well, did she decide to cross when the pedestrian light gave her the recommendation? Nope! She decided that it would be smarter to begin crossing a busy street after my light turned green. Because of course pedestrians have the right of way, no matter what.... Nope! Wrong again! There's a reason the pedestrian light comes on at a certain time, well because that's the safest time to cross a busy intersection. Not only did this woman cross the road when the cars had the right of way, but she also chose to do so at a very, very, no I mean a very slow pace (age was definitely not a factor to the slowness, let's just say it was a smartphone). I was not the only unhappy driver to say the least, but I kept my cool and sat and waited for her. Because patience is an active virtue, right?

What's the moral to this story? Well there is actually more than one!

The obvious one is that the woman's inconsiderate approach and choice to ignore the rest of society functioning around her was ridiculous selfish. Who needs to watch for cars when they will watch for me, right? Wrong again!

Another lesson was the response many of the drivers wanted to relay or did display towards the woman. Yes, she was inconsiderate, but screaming at her was not moving her along any faster. Even though I was irritated, and it gave me a great topic for a blog post, it also helped me work on something that I struggle with each and every day....PATIENCE!

Patience is actually one of the most beautiful virtues, after humility! It may be an active virtue that takes some of us many years to obtain, but in this world of chaos, it is one of the most obvious. A patient person can easily be picked out of a crowd. Those are the people who find happiness in even the smallest disturbance. How beautiful! It might be a difficult virtue to teach through words, but it can be learned very easily by example. I may personally be working on this virtue of patience everyday with my four children, but I hope someday that my hard work will have taught them how to be patient and loving themselves.

Have a Safe and Happy Weekend!