When Things Don't Go As Expected

I had an entire long weekend to plan and prepare, and yet - here I am - already running behind for this week. Which is why this should have been my Monday post, but instead, you're reading it on a Tuesday. 

It seems to happen to me a lot lately. I get distracted so easily. Or I just completely lose my train of thought and end up doing something that wasn't part of my original plan or to-do list. It's a whole thing. 

Speaking of things that don't go as expected.  Our Thanksgiving was smaller than expected.  The weekend before our daughter thought she was getting a nasty cold or a sinus infection.  On Monday she tested positive for Covid. And then, the grand kid started displaying some possible symptoms. So, she and her family weren't able to come for dinner on Thanksgiving. 

The grandkid was able to get an appointment for a test yesterday and he was positive.  So, even though he is already feeling better, he has to stay home from school this week.  His mom on the other hand has felt pretty terrible for an entire week.  Headache, congestion, no sense of smell or taste, exhaustion.  But fortunately, no fever, and her breathing has been ok.  Hopefully, she starts feeling much better soon.

We decorated the house for Christmas over the weekend.  Finally!  If it had been entirely up to me, the tree would have gone up the day after my birthday earlier this month. Sadly, the Man of the House and our son kept fighting me on that. So, I waited not so patiently until Thanksgiving had passed. 

Have you decorated for the holidays yet?

Monday Musings: Stuff Happens

Stuff happens. Every single day things are happening.  Every month.  Every week.  Every minute.

Some of it is good.  Some of it is not so good.  And some of it is just... stuff that happens.  

Some of those things we can prepare for.  They're expected. Some of them are even inevitable.  

But some of it takes us by surprise.  Whether it sneaks up on us, or comes swooping in and knocks us off our feet, taking our breath away.  There are always going to be things we can't plan for.  Things we never see coming until... there they are. 

My mother didn't expect to hear that she had two large tumors when she went in for a routine exam.  But there they were.  She didn't expect to be having surgery less than 3 weeks later.  But she did.  I didn't anticipate her living circumstances having to change without warning and her staying with us during her recovery period.  But here we are.

Stuff happens

All these recent events have had me thinking a lot about how and why things happen.  Especially things you couldn't plan for or didn't anticipate.  Even things you certainly wouldn't want to happen, like my mom's surgery.

I'm seeing a lot of evidence that sometimes that unexpected or unwanted event can turn out to be exactly what you needed. Or it can lead to something better than you would have thought in the beginning. 

There's a Bible verse that speaks to this: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (Romans 8:28 NLT)

Y'all... I am here to tell you that I believe it!!  I've seen it at work recently.  

That thing that you don't want to go through, that tough time, that unexpected news. When things aren't going according to plan. I know it seems gloomy at the moment.  But hang on... cause the outcome might be exactly what you never even knew that you needed. 

Monday Musings: Unexpected

"Expect the unexpected"  You've probably heard this saying hundreds - maybe even thousands - of times in your life. This past week has had me thinking about the unexpected. 

Several communities in our area suffered from some devastating flash flooding this past week caused by Tropical Storm Fred.  Now, what you have to keep in mind is that I live in the mountains of western North Carolina.  Not exactly a place where you expect to see the destruction caused by a tropical storm.  We've had the remnants of hurricanes and tropical storms sweep through the area before, but the flooding that took place this time around was unprecedented.  (Does anyone else feel like the past 2 years are starting to make us a bit numb to that word - "unprecedented"?)  Floodwaters for one town were even higher than several years ago when we had back-to-back storms come through. 

Also unexpected -  medical news for a family member, which is going to lead to surgery sooner rather than later.  I'm not at liberty to discuss details right now.  Hopefully, we'll know more soon. But in the meantime - any prayers for a speedy resolution and recovery would be most welcome.

Can we ever really be prepared for the unexpected?  Probably not.  But we can try to prepare for how we react when unexpected things come about.  Some we can do something about, some we can't.  Either way, we have to be prepared to make adjustments and continue moving forward with the circumstances where we find ourselves.

All things considered, I did pretty well with my goals for last week. Between the rain and losing power for an entire afternoon due to the storm, I didn't create new listings for my Etsy shop. And I wasn't as consistent with tracking my food as I wanted to be (I can only blame that one on myself).  But otherwise, it was a good week.

My goals for this week:

• Create Sunday posts for the 4th quarter
• Write at least 3 new blog posts
• Set goals for September
• Create at least 5 new listings for the Etsy shop
• Drink at least 64 oz of water per day
• Track food in the iTrackbites app

What are your plans or goals for the week?

Sunday Inspiration: The Unexpected