So much is written and talked about when it comes to the topic of planning.  We have been bombarded with advice, guidance, books and articles on this subject for as long as I can remember. Now, I am a planner. I have been making and executing plans for decades, some have worked out well while others have not met my perceived expectations.

While I don’t anticipate abandoning planning or the benefits planning brings with it, I will be loosening it up a bit, being more flexible.

As I write this, I am sitting left leg elevated, ankle swollen; this was not part of the plan. I planned to be on a train by this time, on my way to Gotham City to expand my knowledge. But that plan was dashed.

For several hours I lamented how I must move forward with my plan, commitments were made, tickets bought, people to see, pain be damned and then fates folly became all too real.

Then the moment of truth, I was not going to fulfill my plans. In a time of reflection, I realized that not having a plan for the day and also having limited mobility was an opportunity.

Then the flood of thoughts came to me on how to reclaim the time I had planned on doing something else with. It was only a “change” of plans.

After discarding the ideas that required much movement, there was plenty to do. I could move Wednesday’s plan to Tuesday and be a day ahead of schedule, or I could take this “free time” and work on personal development, more planning. Of course, there are those mental health days that I have heard about, to clear your head and get it straight, but I never had planned on taking one them. What to do, I have no plan for a change in plans?

We always have to play the cards we are dealt and with the proper perspective this day will be turned into a positive one, you can plan on it that I will be flexible.

Being flexible offers us the prospect of tapping into the unknown.  Embrace the break in the plan and go with the flow, as the adage goes, “the only constant is change.” By accepting the interruption and refocusing my thoughts from “oh no” to “oh boy” the outlook on the day changed.

Attitude makes the difference. This day could have been lost to the negative reflection of what could have been. Instead it is an occasion to experience what was never to be.

Life is a journey, not a destination as the saying goes, sometimes you need to put away the map and let the spirit move you.