Plan B…
“Success in life is not how well we execute Plan A; it’s how smoothly we cope with Plan B.” —Sarah Ban Breathnach
This morning, I was reminded of the importance of being able to adapt to Plan B. Or, as Sarah Ban Breathnach noted in the quote above, our ability to smoothly cope with the new “not my first-choice plan” is what matters most.
Over the years, most of us expand our capacity to handle an unexpected change in plans because we’ve been through so many of them. We’ve learned that pushing against something or attempting to ignore it doesn’t work.
—Anne Lamott, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith
A simple deep breath or pause can often help us better cope with the minor roadblocks, and extra attention to self-compassion, connecting with a trusted professional or friend, and faith in a bigger plan can help with the larger, life-altering forced changes.
What have you found that works for you? Is there wisdom to be found in past experiences now that can help you in the future when more “Plan B” situations arise?
May the resources and resilience you need come to you when you’re called to shift to Plan B.
The Real Hope
“The real hope is not in something we think we can do, but in God, who is making something good out of it in some way we cannot see.”
―Thomas Merton
Until Some Light Returns
“Faith includes noticing the mess, the emptiness and discomfort, and letting it be there until some light returns. Faith also means reaching deeply within, for the sense one was born with, the sense, for example, to go for a walk.”
― Anne Lamott, Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith
Autobiography in Five Short Chapters
Chapter 1
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost… I am helpless.
It isn’t my fault.
It takes forever to find a way out.
Chapter 2
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don’t see it.
I fall in again.
I can’t believe I am in the same place.
But it isn’t my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter 3
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in… it’s a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
Chapter 4
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter 5
I walk down another street.
—Portia Nelson, There’s a Hole in My Sidewalk (Link takes you to GoodReads review).
