Enjoy the Ride

18 years ago, I went into the hospital with full expectation that I was coming home a few hours later. There is a saying "Man plans and God laughs." That translates to I didn't go home that day...or the next....or the next. You see, I had a life altering experience of Pulmonary Edema. In other words, I drowned myself somehow and had to be resuscitated and then put on oxygen. Let me tell you. I have never felt fear like I did that day when I awakened to tubes, an oxygen mask and restraints. I was in pain, alone and in the recovery room behind a curtain. Did I already mention that I was scared? It took me months to recover and it wasn't easy. And yet....despite the adversity... I am here and I am hale. At first, I spent a lot of time thinking about how everything was going to end up. What my life was going to be like after I recovered. Would I be able to do the things I did before? How would it limit my capacity and functionality? Would I still be....me? The future felt so uncertain and so very far away. There was this increase in apprehension caused by the fear of "What if" and it made its way into my every day. So, I started to make plans and then spent time thinking about alternatives if those plans didn't work out. I made back up plans for my back up plans to ensure that I could still have the result I desired. Mind, I want to make this clear...I am not against planning. What I am against is the same thing I practiced at that time, which was over planning and creating contingencies based on failure or mishap. And what do you think was happening in my life as I spent time with that fear based planning? Missing out on it. Let me clarify. Instead making a plan, living the plan and enjoying life as I moved through the plan. I spent more time worrying about how good the meal was going to taste, that I barely looked at the ingredients. Now....as the food goes onto the plate, I didn't even take the time to taste it to make sure it was flavored correctly. Hungry? There is nothing better than a home cooked meal made with patience and love. There is nothing better than a well thought out route to a destination. And there is nothing better in life than experiences backed by a plan. Even when the plan doesn't go as....planned. But..... Life is short. If you didn't know that before, the events of the last three months should have shown you with clarity that tomorrow was never promised. You will not always have the best plan. Go anyway. You may not always have every single ingredient. Cook it anyway. You may not always know how the story will end. Read it...anyway. Better yet...write it...anyway. So, yes...plan, but never forget that there is a whole world out there waiting for you to see and feel. Places, people, foods....music. Sights sounds and flavors in abundance that all have your name on it. Ready to go? Get ready to plan for later, but to live now, love now and experience the world around you. Grab your keys, start the car and enjoy the ride. Speaker...Coach