I remember having dreams, or maybe hopes, when I was little about how my life would go. I would get married, have kids, move up steadily in house size and expense, and progress through my career in clearly defined stages. Some of you might be laughing already. That’s okay. Naiveté is not the sole province of youth, but it does seem to be more common in the young. I thought for sure that my life would unwind like a string that had been pulled taut. Little did I know (perhaps couldn’t know) that life is more like a pile of strings mixed up like spaghetti.
I have had set-backs, detours, roadblocks, and hurdles in most areas of my life. I don’t say that as a complaint-I think those things are part and parcel of life for almost all of us. But I have been reminded lately that life never really unfolds the way that we want it to. A straight line from a to b and so on would be convenient, but I think it would make for a poorer version of life. Indeed, I think part of the richness of life comes from the detours that we face. If things unfolded exactly how we planned, there would be little spontaneity, surprise, or wonder. And what is life if not a wonder?
So I am reminded that life is a mixed up mess, and that is a good thing. I have to keep that in mind as our son races towards the end of his college career (faster than my wife and I are ready for). There is not a straight line in store for him any more so than the rest of us. And that is okay. He will find his own way through the spaghetti mess. In the meantime, I will keep planning, knowing that those plans are likely to change in unexpected ways. As my wife is fond of saying, “We plan, and God laughs.” If that is the case, I think I can provide a few more chuckles for the Big Guy while trying to find the best meandering path to the next stage of life.