Planning for the Future at a One-Day-at-a-Time Pace

Those of you who know me well are quite aware of my "control freak" tendencies.

While I've really mellowed in midlife - it's true! Just ask my precious daughter - I still feel the need to make plans, write notes, create a roadmap of sorts for my day-week-month, etc.  Well, breast cancer's really challenging this modus operandi!!!

I awake everyday now in fear of the unknown.  "Fear" may not be the right word, maybe trepidation or anxiousness, or LACK of CONTROL!  Even something as simple as planning for a friend's birthday dinner is challenging.  Is Tuesday a "good" day?  Well, H-E-2 hockey sticks, I don't have a clue!!!  So I'm learning - slowly - to say, "That sounds like a plan... (unless)." 

Patience is one of those characteristics that's always eluded me...

• During the last weeks of my first pregnancy with my awesome son, the baby room furniture sat in boxes, walls un-stenciled, clothes not yet washed.  I'd been put on half-days at work, to rest.  But, lacking the patience to allow dear hubby to complete the tasks (at least the more labor-intensive parts), I did it all myself!!!  And I have to admit it looked good :)
• After a few years in our first house, the lovely linoleum in our kitchen had seen its better days.  We'd talked about replacing it, but the task wasn't high on dear hubby's "to-do" list.  So, one day while he was at work (this was during my stay-at-home-mom phase), I proceeded to rip it all up, measure the area, purchase some Pergo flooring, lay out the subfloor cover, set up the saw horses, grab a back saw (I didn't even know we HAD a circular saw, and couldn't have used it if I had!), and began to lay the new floors.  I can't share his reaction - some of you might be offended ;-) - but I was DANG proud!!!  Hubby finally relented, set up the saw, and helped cut pieces to my size specs :):):)  We even did the dining room and foyer.
• And, about mini Cooper...  We lost our wonderful coon hound, Howie, three years ago this summer. 
  
  He'd been part of our family since we lost my Daddy, and I was feeling lonely without a four-legged friend.  Our precious daughter was going though a rough time, and I thought (because Moms know best, right?) it would be great to get her a puppy for Christmas!  No need to ask anyone, this was MY surprise :)  I'll spare you the details, but suffice it to say this decision would have been better with a dose of patience ;-)

Perhaps this is part of God's plan, forcing me to grow and change?  

Funny how my plans for a transitional summer (insert long list of things to do) have suddenly morphed into a plan to make each day count, take everything in stride (with personal permission for the occasional "pity party"), and move forward with hope and some patience :)  

One of Mama's friends sent a sweet email that described discerning the important things in life from the mundane as "separating the wheat from the chaff."  While I can't really enjoy the wheat (thank you celiac disease), her message is well taken.  

Of course I'm about to start (I'm actually already in the middle of this process - just breaking for a blog post) boxing up books for the move to my new office :).  Guess I need more practice...  or perhaps this is the wheat!!!  (Or rice, or quinoa, or some other non-gluten grain - lol).

Pictures from:
http://tandemforsgren.blogspot.com/2012/07/mia-control-freak.html
http://habituallychic.blogspot.com/2010/09/sick-day.html