Captain Michael: We nearly missed our final evening post for this week’s series.
Mary Beth and I became absorbed in writing songs, follo
We nearly missed our final evening post for this week’s series.
Mary Beth and I became absorbed in writing songs, following one idea into another, and suddenly Friday evening was already here.
Which makes the phrase closing this series especially appropriate.
Earlier today, Mary Beth popped her head in and said:
“Just because it didn’t go right doesn’t mean it didn’t go well.”
That one stopped me.
We often judge an experience by comparing it with the plan.
Did we arrive when expected?
Did the repair work the first time?
Did the project produce the result we imagined?
Did the song sound the way it did inside our head?
If not, we say it went wrong.
But “different from the plan” and “bad” are not the same thing.
Some of the best anchorages are the ones we entered because the weather changed our route.
Some of the people who became important entered our lives because something else fell apart.
Some lessons could only reach us after the original plan failed.
And sometimes the song we did not intend to write becomes the one that needed writing.
This is not an excuse to pretend every failure is secretly a blessing. Some things simply go badly. Damage is real. Disappointment deserves honesty.
But the plan is only one measure of how things went.
Perhaps you did not reach the destination, but you discovered a better direction.
Perhaps the project did not succeed, but the people involved became friends.
Perhaps the day produced nothing on your list, but you spent it creating something with someone you love.
That is not nothing.
This week, we have taken familiar phrases off the coffee cup and asked what they require from us in real life.
Walk with purpose.
Pick your battles.
Trust, but verify.
This too shall pass.
Leave it better than you found it.
None of them promises that life will follow the plan.
They remind us how to meet life when it does not.
So tonight, as this series comes to an end, I will leave the last word to Mary Beth:
Just because it didn’t go right doesn’t mean it didn’t go well.
Sometimes the plan changes.
Sometimes we should too.
— Captain Michael
#WordsToLiveBy #LifeLessons #CourseCorrections #Perspective #IntentionalLiving #FridayThoughts
Captain Michael: We nearly missed our final evening post for this week’s series. Mary Beth and I became absorbed in writing songs, follow
We nearly missed our final evening post for this week’s series. Mary Beth and I became absorbed in writing songs, following one idea into another, and suddenly Friday evening was already here. Which makes the phrase closing this series especially appropriate. Earlier today, Mary Beth popped her head in and said: “Just because it didn’t go right doesn’t mean it didn’t go well.” That one stopped me. We often judge an experience by comparing it with the plan. Did we arrive when expected? Did the repair work the first time? Did the project produce the result we imagined? Did the song sound the way it did inside our head? If not, we say it went wrong. But “different from the plan” and “bad” are not the same thing. Some of the best anchorages are the ones we entered because the weather changed our route. Some of the people who became important entered our lives because something else fell apart. Some lessons could only reach us after the original plan failed. And sometimes the song we did not intend to write becomes the one that needed writing. This is not an excuse to pretend every failure is secretly a blessing. Some things simply go badly. Damage is real. Disappointment deserves honesty. But the plan is only one measure of how things went. Perhaps you did not reach the destination, but you discovered a better direction. Perhaps the project did not succeed, but the people involved became friends. Perhaps the day produced nothing on your list, but you spent it creating something with someone you love. That is not nothing. This week, we have taken familiar phrases off the coffee cup and asked what they require from us in real life. Walk with purpose. Pick your battles. Trust, but verify. This too shall pass. Leave it better than you found it. None of them promises that life will follow the plan. They remind us how to meet life when it does not. So tonight, as this series comes to an end, I will leave the last word to Mary Beth: Just because it didn’t go right doesn’t mean it didn’t go well. Sometimes the plan changes. Sometimes we should too. — Captain Michael #WordsToLiveBy #LifeLessons #CourseCorrections #Perspective #IntentionalLiving #FridayThoughts
We nearly missed our final evening post for this week’s series. Mary Beth and I became absorbed in writing songs, following one idea into another, and suddenly Friday evening was already here. Which makes the phrase closing this series especially appropriate. Earlier today, Mary Beth popped her head in and said: “Just because it didn’t go right doesn’t mean it didn’t go well.” That one stopped me. We often judge an experience by comparing it with the plan. Did we arrive when expected? Did the repair work the first time? Did the project produce the result we imagined? Did the song sound the way it did inside our head? If not, we say it went wrong. But “different from the plan” and “bad” are not the same thing. Some of the best anchorages are the ones we entered because the weather changed our route. Some of the people who became important entered our lives because something else fell apart. Some lessons could only reach us after the original plan failed. And sometimes the song we did not intend to write becomes the one that needed writing. This is not an excuse to pretend every failure is secretly a blessing. Some things simply go badly. Damage is real. Disappointment deserves honesty. But the plan is only one measure of how things went. Perhaps you did not reach the destination, but you discovered a better direction. Perhaps the project did not succeed, but the people involved became friends. Perhaps the day produced nothing on your list, but you spent it creating something with someone you love. That is not nothing. This week, we have taken familiar phrases off the coffee cup and asked what they require from us in real life. Walk with purpose. Pick your battles. Trust, but verify. This too shall pass. Leave it better than you found it. None of them promises that life will follow the plan. They remind us how to meet life when it does not. So tonight, as this series comes to an end, I will leave the last word to Mary Beth: Just because it didn’t go right doesn’t mean it didn’t go well. Sometimes the plan changes. Sometimes we should too. — Captain Michael #WordsToLiveBy #LifeLessons #CourseCorrections #Perspective #IntentionalLiving #FridayThoughts
