You’re smart.

You have a plan.

You have a vision.

You move through life making decisions and feeling in control of the direction of your life.

AND you know that stuff happens that sends you off in new directions on a pretty regular basis.

AND often, it’s long after you’re pushed off track that you look back and see that what happened was exactly what had to happen.

Sometimes this is good stuff and you feel good – like you’re blessed.

And sometimes this is hard stuff – and while you may not feel blessed, you see why it happened. And you see where it took you. And you’re left with a feeling of amazement and maybe even a feeling of awe.

So make your plans AND trust the Universe to bring you opportunities and challenges.

Being grateful for the good and for the difficult is one of life’s great lessons.

This cool poem, produced this week by The Writer’s Almanac, plays with this in a beautiful way.

Lucky by Kirsten Dierking

All this time,
the life you were
supposed to live
has been rising around you
like the walls of a house
designed with warm
harmonious lines.

As if you had actually
planned it that way.

As if you had
stacked up bricks
at random,
and built by mistake
a lucky star.

Tonight, I hope you can see the lucky star you’ve been building.

Peace out!