On Making Plans

"There are two times in a man's life when he should not speculate: when he can't afford it,

and when he can." -Mark Twain, Following the Equator, Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar

Yesterday, I drove my blue Grand Caravan from St. Louis to Hannibal.  As the miles rolled by, I watched the digital temperature drop from 50 to 41 degrees.  The snow cover had almost melted in the city.   In Northeast Missouri a lot of snow remains.  My porch, front steps, and sidewalks all look a bit worse for the winter wear they endured over the past weeks.  Everything seems to be tired of winter.

I had planned to check on everything and then run errands.  I had my list.  I had my priorities. I had plans.  My next two days were scheduled, and then life happened.  I used to say to my students “Life is what happens when you are making other plans.”  Every year I live seems to prove the statement more true.

My Hannibal plans quickly changed when I discovered that the bitter cold had found another victim—my water pipes.  When I turned the water back on, I heard the leaks.  And so, repairs must be made.  It reminds me that everything is always leaning toward disintegration.  We must constantly struggle to ward it off.  By care and hard work we keep the old stone wall standing another season, but sooner or later it will come down.

Even in the human arena, the struggle for stability is intense.  For example, some of us humans work very hard to keep our health.  We try to eat right, we exercise regularly, and we practice preventative medicine.  Sometimes, we do everything right, and it all goes wrong.  Sometimes, life happens when we are not looking.  Sometimes, we are just puzzled by it all.

Five weeks ago, I woke up with plans.  I had finished packing my bags, had gotten everything ready including myself, and had taken the elevator down to my van six floors below.  I had travel plans.  I placed my bags behind the rear seat and hopped into the front seat to find wires sticking out of the steering column.  During the night a person or persons unknown had tried to hotwire my vehicle.  Grand Caravans have a kill switch so the attempted theft was only an attempt, but my steering column had been destroyed, and the van was not usable. 

Thanks to Geico and a very pleasant repair experience, I was back on the road in four days.  The van is now good to go, but I have been altered somehow.  Now I do not jump into the driver seat with the same expectations.  Now I tend to hesitate.  Now I wonder if my plans are just that—plans.  Now I hesitate for just a moment with my life on hold.  Now I am reminded that life with all its uncertainty is always making other plans.  Sometimes, we can afford it; sometimes, we can't.