When things don’t pan out the way you planned,
then maybe life have better plans for you.
You just don’t know them yet.
Dog Days – A Dog’s Guide To Beating The Blues
David and Heidi Cuschieri
Planning The Future
Recently I went for an early morning bush walk in Springbrook National Park. Being winter and starting early in the morning it was quite chilly. I had planned first to visit my favourite lookout, aptly named, the Best Of All Lookout. This sits at the end of the escarpment and has magnificent views to the south into northern New South Wales and Wollumbin which is the centre of a massive caldera and all the way down to Byron Bay. As I walked along the path through ancient beech forest I could only see a few feet ahead as it was covered in a magical blanket of mist. I had planned to take photos of the sunrise looking towards the east. Instead I couldn’t see anything except for grey mist. There was also a slight drizzle which didn’t forebode too well for my bush walk.
The next stop I made was to Goomolahra Lookout which started out clear but the mist from the south within minutes had enveloped the view. I then drove to Canyon Lookout and as I arrived it started to drizzle and then rain and the view started to become enveloped by the same thick grey fog. I managed to take photos as the mist and rain clouds started to envelope the valley below.
By this time you may think that I was disappointed that things weren’t working out to plan and I would be ready to give up as it wasn’t the best weather to bush walk in – cold, grey and raining. Ever optimistic I made my way to where I had planned to walk – Purling Brook Falls. Even though this was only a few kilometres away from my previous stop, it was completely clear and there was no rain. In fact, it was sunny even if a little cold.
Plant Seeds
What I learned from this experience is it is OK to plan but not to get upset if the outcome isn’t as you had planned it to be. Plant seeds instead that no matter what happens you will enjoy the journey.
The Future Is A MISTery
As much as we plan for things, the future will always be a mystery. Driving through roads covered in mist and seeing glorious views disappear in a thick cloud of mist I soon realised that not knowing and so not seeing everything is far more exciting then knowing and expecting everything to work out exactly and perfectly like we planned. I had traveled along these mountain roads numerous times and the mist created a sense of excitement and MISTery (excuse the pun). All of a sudden, the familiar became unfamiliar. All of a sudden the mist created a new world.
It Will All Work Out In The End
What I learned from my experiences that day was we can plan to the nth degree but in the end when we simply go with the flow life has a way of turning out, often even better than we could have expected. The two images above of the sunrise from Canyon Lookout wouldn’t have looked half as dramatic on a clear day as it did with the mist, clouds and rain. In fact, as it turned out in the end, everything worked out perfectly. I walked down the escarpment to the base of Purling Brook Falls and then down a kilometre through rainforest to Waringa Pool and what a glorious sunny day it turned out to be!
Do you feel anxious when things don’t work out the way you planned? Today take a step back and enjoy what is. Rather than plan why not plant the seeds of happiness – make a decision to enjoy what comes. The future is a MISTery as Eleanor Roosevelt once said, and yesterday is history. Today is a present. Enjoy the marvelous gift you are given.
Leave a Reply