Destination Unknown

When you walk to the edge of all the light you have and take that first step into the darkness of the unknown, you must believe that one of two things will happen: There will be something solid for you to stand upon, or, you will be taught how to fly. ~ Poet, Patrick Overton

Father’s Day weekend forecast predicts bright sunny skies over the next five days.

What a drastic change compared to Tuesday’s winter storm advisory that dumped 3 - 10 inches of snow across the mountainous valley this week.

Imagine the school kids surprise when they woke to a lawn covered in nature’s frosted flakes on the first day of their summer vacation.

What a reminder of how unpredictable life can be!

I am definitely learning to be more tolerant of these things... I use to get very upset when things didn’t go as planned.

I would calendar all of my dates in permanent ink.

Back then, Steve’s “fly-by-the-seat of his pants” spontaneous side was exactly just the opposite.

“Let’s just wing it,” he’d say.

“Are you kidding?” I’d bellow with my pen behind my ear, one hand on my hip, and the other clutching my calendar.

“I need to plan!”

I was completely consumed by the need to be in control. It was important I knew everything ahead of time so I could precisely plan. -- Everything I did was calculated with careful consideration at every given turn.

I was one of those people who needed to know exactly where we’d be sleeping and where we’d be eating on every given road trip and every vacation destination.

“Who cares!” Steve would say. “We’ll sleep in the car if we need to, and our bodies can go for days without food.”

I use to get so mad. -- It’s quite amazing we’re still together. ;) LOL

Nearly 17 years later and the tables have turned.

Steve is now the one who seems to need to know.

Imagine my amusement this past Wednesday just before dinner when Steve asked, “Do you want to go to our land or take a motorcycle trip this Sunday?”

“Let’s just play it by ear,” I smiled.

His face became very serious then.

“Well, Michelle, I’d like to plan,” he declared.

My cackle could be heard for miles.

I “busted a gut” you might say.

Never in a million years did I think Steve would be the planner and I’d be the spur-of-the-moment one in the relationship.

Our friend Susan, a certified counselor, says we’re the true “Yin and the Yang.”

She says there are stages throughout any relationship in which roles flip and turn so that balance can be maintained in the relationship as both individuals transform.

How beautiful is that!

When we befriend the unknown, we make peace with the present moment.

“Now” appears in the word unknown for a reason.

Unknown means “not within the range of one's understanding.” (Webster’s)

The “now” has not yet come.

Now means “at the present time or moment.” (Webster’s)

This is the only “is” there is.

·Will we go to the land tomorrow or take a motorcycle trip? ·Will it snow again this summer or remain warm and sunny? ·Will my book get published or won’t it? ·Will Steve and I be parents or not?

I’m lovingly embracing the unknown, and, oh, how it feels so great!!

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ETE - Happy 5th Wedding Anniversary Matt & Tania -and- Happy Father’s Day to all of you Dad’s out there!!