Going With the Flow

"Life is what happens when you're busy making other plans" is a quote that rings true. Every day.

Last Christmas, Second Son asked me to add a line to our family's annual Christmas Poem. He wanted to announce his intentions to buy a house within the next year. I think part of his intent was to have equal time in the poem (his verse was two lines short of everyone else's). But I believe that putting his objective out there for the world to see, instilled a desire to make that goal become reality before the year ended.

A few months after he made that affirmation to himself and the world, he broke a bone in his hand. Because the physical demands of his work requires the use of that hand, he was instantly unemployed. Compensation kicked in and paid him enough to pay his bills, but little else.

He was told it would take 6 weeks to heal. But it didn't heal properly and he ended up being off of work for about 3 months.

Before he broke that bone, he had just started saving to pay his hefty tax bill which was looming. His compensation cheques certainly didn't allow leeway for this necessity. So when tax time came, he talked to the Tax People, to make arrangements to pay the amount owing as soon as he was able.

When he was finally able to return to work, work had slowed down. Work was there, but not as plentiful as it had been a year ago during our housing boom. He continued to work as if there was another job waiting for him, even if there wasn't. Despite the fact that there was not a lot of work, he got the work that was available ... because he quickly finished what he could. And was ready, willing and able to work on the jobs as they came up.

Eventually, he got the Tax People paid off and in the midst of his final payments to them he was working on fulfilling that goal that he had set for himself last December. He really wanted to be a home owner before the year was done.

He talked to a lot of people. He investigated the options that he had. He started looking. And last night, he announced to 'the world' ... that his dream had come true. He takes possession December 1st.

Is it the house of his dreams? Not yet. It will be a work in progress - something that he's talked about wanting to do since his first job. A 'fixer-upper' is all he ever hoped for. And that, he got (and then some).

Despite all odds, he has accomplished what he set out to do not quite one year ago.

This got me thinking about My Oldest ...

Alot of My First Son's hopes and dreams have recently been upended, as his life headed in a direction that he hadn't expected on taking. I heard his despair as he talked about lost dreams. I quietly suggested that he not give up his dreams. Change them, perhaps ... but never give up on them.

Lately, First Son has been talking about those revised dreams. There is a little bit of bitter sweetness about it right now. But it is early in the game.

I believe my children are resilient. I have been marvelling at their ability to pick up and carry on. I feel their hurt, but I see their inner strength - that drive that has got them to where they are today.

We rarely get to take the straight and narrow path to our dreams. A person wouldn't appreciate it, if you could. When life throws you curve balls, you have to alter your plans and shift your dreams. Chances are, those detours are leading to you to 'the place' you were meant to be all along.

Keep making those plans ... but expect life to happen. And go with the flow.