In case you were wondering, we all end up making it up as we go along. There are no Rules of Engagement, no Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s), or a handy guidebook lying around somewhere for us to use as a reference as we go through life. In fact, most of life is throwing your hands up and going with the flow because as much as you think you know what will happen, you really have no idea what will happen. The last few days have been like that for me and probably a big reason why I can’t sleep right now (I would get up in 30 minutes anyway). As a new bride, you can tell yourself that you will not cry as you stand in front of your groom and family and friends on your wedding day, and yet the video of that day will show something different. A goal keeper can repeatedly practice not letting anyone score all week in practice, and then when it matters most, a ball slips by you and the winning goal is made. We all have moments that we can plan in our heads over and over and then when they happen for real, it is like you forgot the playbook. You frantically search for it in your head but have to appear not to be doing that as things in front of you are moving at lightening speed. Your only choice? Make it up as you go along. Yesterday morning, I was greeted with a surprise visit from an old friend that I have not seen in quite some time and although our visit was quick in 15 minutes, we also were easily transported back to where we used to be. Our conversation did not need a guidebook or a notebook full of SOP’s. Truth be told, as she sat in my office chair, it seemed very familiar and weird at the same time because it had been a long time since she last sat in that same chair. Life is about making it up as we go along and trying to make it somehow work. Maybe it does and maybe it doesn’t. Maybe we learn something by failure. Maybe we learn that when we think nothing is happening, that actually everything is happening. We don’t always see results right away even when we have worked hard at losing weight. Sometimes, we have to adjust our sails because the winds change or the water gets choppy. For most of my life, I thought having the perfect plan meant that I could control how everything went. I didn’t realize that I should’ve just thrown my hands up and enjoyed the ride. But that is how I live now. Who wants to live by rules anyway? Living in the moment means making it up as we go along and is a much more fun way to live anyway!
Michelle Homme 2013 ©
