Today I took my children to the zoo... along with our babysitter... who is wonderful! I called ahead to make sure that the zoo was open and indeed, it was. So, we packed up our bags, ALL of them, and went. When we got there, I stepped up to pay for us to enter and was informed that the carosel, the train and the cafe were all closed. Well... Lovely! Campbell had been asking to ride the horses for days and the reason I brought our babysitter was so that I could take Campbell on the train ride and leave Carson with her. Along with that disappointment camp the closing of the Cafe. I hadn't packed any snacks or beverages. NONE. I had it planned just right so that we would be eating at the Cafe about the time Carson was needing his lunch. There were HUGE blows to my perfectly planned day. I reluctantly paid the lady a small percentage of our weekly pay check and in we went. The monkey exhibit is the first stop on the journey and Campbell's face lit up like a firework. We took pictures of the monkeys. We saw the baby and it's mommy. We saw the big daddy and all the friends. They were eating pumpkins and swinging from the ropes. Then we saw the elephants and when they walked right up to us and started picking the grass with the noses and eating, Campbell and I both were amazed. She was running from animal to animal asking to see more.
Then the thought hit me: If I could go through life like that. She expected it to be a great day at the zoo. She expect to see all the animals. That was accomplished, so she was thrilled and it was a success. It was that simple. I am finding myself, as a perfectionist and a grown up, to expect things to work out because I have it all planned out HOW they will work out. If they don't go how I planned for them to go, the obviously it was a failure. Not her. The cafe wasn't open, so we went to Cracker Barrel and bought toys and Christmas outfits. The train wasn't working so we didn't ride it. It wasn't a tragedy. The carosel was down so we passed by it and moved on to the gift shop. The day was a success. I spent the day with my children. I made memories with them. I was a good mother today. Who cares if the original plan was altered? The end result was still achieved!
So, as you are making your plans for tomorrow, this weekend, next week, 5 years from now, 20 years from now... the end result is living in God's will... if that is obtained, who cares how you get there? Write out a plan, then just enjoy the day at the zoo....
