I have a plan for everything these days! What I’m gonna fix for dinners for the week, how we’ll spend our weekends for the month, even what I’m going to wear for the next few days. (I don’t want to waste that perfect outfit on work when I could wear it for that lunch date!) I definitely have a plan for our spending for the month. I even have a plan for my plan, call it an agenda or parameters for which I live my life.
I don’t want to be too extravagant with anything I do, but I never want to be too careful, either. Life is short, right?
Something else I like to plan for is how I volunteer my time and money. There are so many causes from which to choose, some you may have a passion for, others you share a political view with and others are affiliated with your faith. I, often, do a little research to know exactly where my money goes. I knew a man that traveled a lot, and he’d pick up hitchhikers along the way. He’d often give them the money in his pocket before they parted ways. Generous? I call it reckless! After all, what was stopping that hitchhiker from buying something other than food?
When I had a chance the other day to sign up to help with feeding lunch to school-age children in the park, I didn’t have time to make all the usual considerations. All I knew was that they needed someone, and I had the time. So I put my name down, and am I glad I did. The smile on my face was as big as those on the kids’ faces. And, that feeling stayed with me the rest of the day. It was such a fun experience, I’ll do it again, even if it means changing my schedule.
Do I plan on throwing caution to the wind every time one of these opportunities presents itself? No, in fact I probably won’t be picking up any hitchhikers. I intend to hold onto my “agenda” a little less tightly, though. After all, I could change someone’s life for the better, including my own!
-Cindy