You never know . . .

I am going to a financial planner these days, since I know little to nothing about investing.  I very much like to have things organized and all my finances will be in one place.  Whenever I plan like this, I always have an area of my mind that dips into the "you never know" factor. 

It has struck me recently because my life is so wide open with possibilities right now.  Every day there could be a person, a situation, an encounter of even the simplest kind that comes into your path that could change everything.  Your life after may not even look different to the average person, but something inside you changes and you never quite look at things the same again.  

It came up in this financial planning/retirement planning scenario that based on what I have in front of me right now, I have this plan to retire.  I look back in time and see the illustration of how my life changed when I met my late husband Tim.  The instant connection forever changed my life.  He encouraged me to write, which caused me to write on Caringbridge throughout the years of his illness.  What if, as a result of my life with him and experiencing his life to it's end, I write a book and a lot of people like it and buy it--that could change everything and I could always look back and point where my life changed forever.  

I try to take in the full experience of what's around me and embrace whatever comes.  Enjoy what is now, don't waste time waiting for your life to happen or waiting for that one thing that's going to make it all "better".  Even the small things; you never know, that could be the thing or the person or the event that shapes your thoughts or actions and causes your life to go down a new and different path from that point on.  Don't miss it by overplanning your life.  

You never know . . .