A “Little, Orange” Support Team

As we approach the end of another school year, attention shifts to things ending and future plans. This is elevated in the conscience of our house since we have a graduating senior.  Oh future plans, how illusive you are.  

“How can I possibly complete my college registration if I don’t know exactly what I am going to be doing for a career 15 years from now?”  

“My mind is so busy trying to figure out complex world problems, I don’t have time to worry about scheduling my placement tests for college.”

I love to marvel the virtuous thinker.

One of the keys to solving the future plans dilemma is to leverage the talents of more seasoned [old] advisors [parents].  Yep, I know what you are thinking.  Taking guidance from  parents is not natural for an independence-seeking senior.  Our senior is not necessarily seeking full independence; remember “Life is a Lot of Stuff”.

When struggling with future plans, the wisdom of parents can yield:

• List making for tasks (especially when you loath lists) [quick quote-”Is that all you do all day, sit around and make lists for everyone else?”]
• Methodical problem solving techniques (pros/cons, facts/assumptions, possible solutions, etc.)
• Lessons learned from previous mistakes (and there are several!)
• Feedback on skills and talents
• Encouragement
• Course correction (more than you would like, maybe)
• THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HAVING A LOVING SUPPORT TEAM!

There comes a time in everyone’s life when you realize that success is only achievable with a dedicated support team.  It is easy to see when this pearl of wisdom has not yet been realized.  

“Everyone else is the Oompa Loompa in my world.”

I guess we are a “little, orange” support team.

Proverbs 3:13-18 “Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her. Long life is in her right hand; in her left hand are riches and honor. Her ways are pleasant ways, and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her; those who hold her fast will be blessed.”

- What is Your Plan -

My “Perfect” Plan

Have you ever had a plan so tightly wrapped that you felt like success was a foregone conclusion?  I mean you knew, with 100% certainty, that everything would execute exactly according to the plan.  There were no holes in the plan and no room for deviations.  A perfect plan… the ever-illusive utopia.

Several years ago, my wife and I were set to embark on another military move.  We were moving from Fort Rucker, AL, and heading to Monterey, CA, for graduate school.  [I know, tough duty]

Our “perfect” plan:

Movers head out with all of our worldly possessions on a Thursday.  We were to expect delivery no earlier than 12 days later.  No need for storage.  We were doing a door-to-door move.  Everyone said a door-to-door move was a myth; it’s impossible.  We’ll show them.  Our plan is fool-proof.

We leave Fort Rucker on Friday and head to Atlanta to send the boys back to Minnesota.  They were staying with grandparents so they wouldn’t have to make the long drive.  Hurray for grandparents!

We leave Atlanta on Monday after Mary flew back from Minneapolis, complete with dropping off the boys.  Off we go on our relaxing 2,400 mile drive to Monterey.  The “perfect” plan included driving an average of 550 for 4 days and then an easy 200 miles the last day.

Once we got to Monterey on Friday, after our easy 200 miles, we would drop the dog off at the kennel and check into the Guest House.  Making the trip with the dog in the car would add some complexity but we could handle it.  We had a “perfect” plan for that too.

We would sign for our military housing on Friday and explore the city over the weekend.  Monday would come and we would be completely ready for the delivery team; ready with donuts, pizza and a few Cokes.

Oh how I love a “perfect” plan!

What really happened:  Everything was going great right up until day 3 (Thursday) of our drive.

While at a rest stop in Arizona, we get a call from the military transportation office.  The movers, apparently, are supermen and managed to be 3 days ahead of schedule.  What moving company has ever done that!  

They were going to deliver our household goods on Friday morning, not the next Monday, like we had planned.  Ok.  Only a slight change to the plan…  Then the next bit of good news.  If we were not at our house ready for the delivery at 9:00 am, they would put our stuff in storage for 30 days.

Noooooo…. don’t you understand, we are doing a door-to-door.  We have a perfect plan.  This is not happening.

Ok.  Wait.  We can do this.  

We will skip our last overnight stop and drive straight to Monterey.  We can do the remaining 800 miles in a day.  

We don’t have a place to stay!  We will call for new hotel reservations.  The Dog!  The hotel needs to take pets.  [Not an easy  find]  We have a reservation at a hotel on the beach.  Too bad we can’t enjoy it.  [another side note..we got lost getting to the hotel.  No GPS.]

Guess we can cancel the kennel reservation. [as a side note:  Arizona and southern California rest areas don’t have any grass.  The dog won’t relieve himself unless he has grass.  We found out that he has a very large bladder capacity.]

The housing office!  They don’t open until 9:00 am!  I called them and told them our dilemma.  They agreed to meet me so I could sign for the keys early Friday morning, while my better-half waits for the truck.

WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR PERFECT AND RELAXING PLAN?  Gone.

Everything turned out ok in the end, as it almost always does, despite our melodramatic panic.  We even completed the elusive door-to-door move.

The worst part of the entire change episode was totally self-induced.  Yours truly decided it would be a good idea, and quicker, to take the scenic route (HWY 1) up the California coast to cover our last 100 miles.  The last 100 miles of a 800 mile day.  It was not quicker and not very scenic with the sun on the horizon and in your eyes for 100 miles.  Not to mention it made my better-half sick. [Never a good thing.]

When will we learn to stop chasing the “Perfect” plan.

Romans 8:28  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

- What is your plan? -

“Secret Plans are the Best!”

Having a clear view or vision of the objective is a success key when starting a project.  If you don’t know where you are going, how do you know when you get there?

If you want a cool place to hang out in the back yard with your adult friends, obviously the objective is a tree house built for adults.  It should include a fridge, HD TV, theater seats and an Adrian Peterson Fathead.  This would be so cool. [sorry, got a little distracted]

Ok.  We have a vision.  Let’s start building.  No wait.  I think I’ve forgotten something.  Let me check with my resident teen wiseman.   

Oh discerning and insightful teen, how do you get your projects done?

“I don’t have a plan but I am going to get it done.”

So you are saying I don’t need a plan to build my tree-borne mancave.  It will just happen?  Is this the way you get your school assignments done?

“No, I mean… I don’t have a plan that I can tell you.”

Oh, I get it.  Shhhh…. it’s a secret.  Secret plans are always the best.  Especially those that are so secret that they don’t actually exist.  Kind of like the plan to get your summer reading done prior to your last first day of school. [busted]

I guess my tree-borne mancave will have to wait until I can figure out how to crack the code on these secret plans.

Thankfully, we have an eternal life plan that is very clear and not a secret at all:

1 Timothy 2:3-6  “This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.

-What is your plan?-

“One of the Greatest Minds”

My wife and I are truly blessed to be in such close proximity to “one of the greatest minds of the 21st Century”.  What an honor.

Budgeting is a great planning tool.  Having a monthly family financial budget means having a plan for where your money is going to go in the next month.   

Having a home improvement project budget means knowing how much you can spend before you cut the first board or, in my case, it gives my wife an estimate before she applies the man-pi factor (3.14 x his estimate).  

Having a time budget means fencing blocks of time for yourself to accomplish all your tasks for a day.  This application of budgeting was especially useful during a recent “planning session” with our oldest son.  

He thought it would be a very good idea to set a daily budget of time so he could get his work done and, more importantly, get us off his back.  We were very proud when he set up his time budget all on his own and it was very reasonable.  30 minutes for a meal, 4 hours for school work, 30 minutes to stretch, 20 minutes to get ready in the morning, …… and so on.  It actually showed that he was going to be up and out of bed by 8:30.  Not bad considering this is one of our “sleepy teens”.

As my wife was reviewing his time budget with him, it was apparent that he was also proud of himself for putting it together.  It really was a nice plan.  When she complimented him on his time budgeting abilities he returned a confident response: “Well, when you’re dealing with one of the greatest minds of the 21st Century, you have to keep organized”.

Oh, yes.  He actually said it.  Modest is this one.  I really wish he would break out of his shell.

Proverbs 26:12 “Do you see a person wise in their own eyes?  There is more hope for a fool than for them.”

- What is your plan? -

“What to Call a “Dog”?”

I mentioned in my first blog that I felt like I had enough content to fill years and years of blog space. After 12 blog posts, I still feel the same way, but I’ve also discovered another interesting factoid.  I am really good with blog titles.

I am not bragging.  Several people have complimented my titles.   

“I love your titles.”

“Your titles are so creative.”

“Your titles always make me laugh.”

“I can’t wait for your next blog because your titles are genius.”

Ok.  Maybe I stretched the truth on these compliments just a little.  I don’t get many accolades on my writing.  Wait a minute.  They are not actually complimenting my writing, just the titles.

Now that I think about it, maybe what they are really saying is:

“Your content is really, really bad.”

“Please write something that compels me to read further than the title.”

“Take a creative writing class.  Please.”

Sounds like a cry for mercy.  Well, at least I have the keen ability to give a “Dog” of a post a cool name.  I can live with that.

James 4:6  “But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

- What is your plan -

“Making Tracks - A Week in Review”

No week ever goes as planned.  We all start with a well intentioned plan, but it never seems to go according to our plan. (Note: I wrote this a couple of weeks ago prior to a much needed vacation.)

My plan was to get a jump on the work week.  Get up early and be to work by 0730.  My plan was subverted the minute I walked down the stairs.  

The smell hit me like a three shot espresso.  I’m wide awake now.  It smelled like someone had slaughtered a deer and hit all the bad parts.  

The dog got sick and defecated all over the dining room, kitchen and hallway.  As he has gotten older, he is having accidents more frequently, but this...this was like nothing we’ve ever had to deal with before.  He started at the base of the stairs and decided to run an obstacle course while discharging.  He managed to create a  serpentine course under the dining room table, between the legs of the chairs, and continue the release into the middle of the kitchen.  He then, apparently, repositioned to the office area where he left a nice chocolate streak down the hallway toward the kitchen.  I guess he was “Making Tracks”.

My Monday morning started with 35 minutes of scrubbing on my hands and knee.  Thankfully, we have mostly tile floor downstairs.  This was not my plan.

Because of my decision to get an early start on Monday, my wife and I departed from our normal gym schedule.  We went to the gym separately to continue our quest to go From-Couch-to-5K.  This is our attempt to “Make Tracks” to healthier living.  I think it might just put us in the hospital.  Running is hard.

Tuesday was a good trek.  A few surprises, mostly positive, and certainly nothing like the dog squirts.  Tuesday night I found myself at our church council meeting.  Council nights are a little tough because Tuesday nights are family night at our house.  It is the only night we are all home together.  Busy teenagers.  The meeting went well with a few curves in the road as we welcome several new members and new ideas.     

Wednesday morning the dog decided to leave me a few surprises closer to home.  He decided it was a good idea to evacuate during his morning stretch.  He sleeps on the floor near my side of the bed.  Needless to say, I stepped lightly out of bed to avoid his #2.  Another early morning clean up.  Again, not what I had planned.  

My wife and I made it to the gym in the morning and completed our run.  My plan was to shower at the gym and head into work.  Work would have to wait since I left my belt and deodorant at home.  More “Tracks”, and miles on the car, as I had to return home because nobody wants my BO around the office, even if I am wearing a tie.

Thursday’s plan was to get into work early again.  I am trying to closeout several tasks as we are preparing for a much needed summer family vacation.  Thursday was my last full work day before we depart.  It was difficult to stay focused while I beat back thoughts of laying on the beach with a little umbrella drink in my hand.  My “Tracks” around the office were a little more hurried today.  My boss told me to put everything on hold and start concentrating on the vacation.  The work will be here when I get back.  I think that is why I’m afraid.

Remember earlier when I said that “we” had to deal with the dog’s accidents.  My wife and son got their chance to participate.  You got it.  For the third and fourth time this week, the dog left us a little treat.  This time in the living room.  Get out the Target bags, rubber gloves and rags.  And to think, my son loves animals and wants to be a vet.  This is good practice, but this was not exactly his plan.

At the time of this writing, Friday is yet to happen, but don’t you worry, I will have a plan.  Actually, we have great plans to spend the day together as a family on a harbor cruise and tour of Fort Wool.  It will be interesting to see what alternate “Tracks” await us.

Maybe I’ve stumbled onto the problem.  It is our plan, not God’s plan.  Consider, through prayer,  the “Tracks” He would have for you.  I bet it will make a difference in the way you approach each day.  Every week that I get to “Make Tracks” with my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is a great week.

Jeremiah 29:11  “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

- What is your plan? -