It was the weekend (October 12-13, 2018) of our church’s first men’s retreat in Marengo, OH. It was the final day of the retreat. With my wife’s advice ringing in my ears that there almost for certain would be sausage gravy at breakfast (as she had several years prior), I greedily scooped up scrambled eggs, three pieces of sausage, and a large pile of country potatoes on my plate that morning. The lumpy tan looking sausage gravy looked delicious. My mouth was watering. I couldn’t wait to consume it. I happily ladled it all over my breakfast meal.
Back at my seat, I told a nearby friend (Joe) how bland the sausage gravy was no matter how much salt I added to it. Later that morning in our cabin, a smiling Joe informed me sausage gravy was not on the electronic menu board, but oatmeal was. I told you that charming (but embarrassing) story to remind you that life doesn’t always go as you plan. Sometimes the gravy in your life turns out to really be gravy-looking oatmeal. Remember these important points when your life goes an unexpected way:
1.
Change your direction You tried to stick to the route, but your devices
broke down. You
don’t know what’s next. Are you going to panic? No way. Let
your fears go and discover. Life is
so incredibly diverse that you’ll never get bored exploring it. However, to truly enjoy it you need to adhere
to one crucial condition – no questions.
Stop asking yourself why life doesn’t go as planned. This
question has no answer. If you want to make the most out of life, just
continue. Do not sit on the ruins
of your dreams whining
and pitying yourself. Use the resources you
have to live the life that is happening right now.
2.
Life happens, and it isn’t about us Lots of people are frightened or feel anxious. In
worst cases, some folks would even shift the responsibility to something or
someone else just so they can avoid blame. No matter what we believe in, we still want the same things, such as acceptance. When life doesn’t go as planned, we
can’t allow ourselves to wallow in self-pity to come. Life can happen just because. Accept what you
have for the moment and learn to appreciate it.
3.
Maneuver, and then keep moving Life is movement. When something gets you stuck, it can feel
exhausting. So deal with the problem that holds you back and take a new
start. Everyone has unfulfilled dreams because we may
feel we’re not good enough,
or because we think our efforts are useless. So we keep knocking on closed
doors again and again; but still hoping
for the best.
4.
Misfortune is common Sometimes, it seems that people around us have perfect lives. Whether you believe in luck or not, misfortune
happens all the time – often, even to good people. We can’t change that. It’s
the world we live in. We deal with these things the best way we know how (either smiling or crying). But it’s
the choices we make that are important.
5.
Stop wasting your life, and do the things you want now You are the one who makes your life meaningful.
When your life doesn’t go as planned, change your perspective but do not stop
dreaming. Let yourself do things you’ve always postponed. Try yourself in
something that takes you outside your comfort zone. Do things you’ve always thought about doing, but never had the chance to
begin. There is no reason to wait. Life is happening right now. So go on stage.
The performance can’t
start without you.
“It is not the strongest of the species that
survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is most
adaptable to change.” (Charles
Darwin)[i]
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