Unexpected Events.

A friend of mine sent a text the other day. It was the 2 year anniversary of her husband's death and she said she missed him more each day. She also said ‘Be prepared.'

Be prepared for what? I am assuming that she meant that I needed to be prepared for the death of my husband? But, how would I even begin to do that…even if I wanted to.

Life is a series of unpredictable and unexpected events right?

So, how to you plan for those unexpected events?

We plug along doing our thing…cooking, cleaning, seeing family, having lunch with friends. And we plan. We make plans for our 60th birthday, Christmas plans, vacation plans, and renovation plans. Am I right? Do you plan too? Do you plan your todays and your tomorrows?

We plan for our financial future (hopefully). We try and figure out how much money we would like to have when we are retired. We create our bucket lists…and make plans to cross those things off the list.

And then, out of the blue, something happens and you get smacked in the emotional heart… because your plans did not turn out as YOU, well…planned. Then what happens?

I am thinking about:

• Tony Bennett right now. He has Alzheimer's.
• Michael J Fox. He got Parkinson's at age 29.
• Christopher Reeve falling off a horse and getting paralyzed.
• My mom who had a stroke in December.
• My husband who had a botched hip replacement 4 years ago.
• My sister who has a dropped foot and can't drive.

Every single one of those are unexpected events, right?

Plans? None of the above were in the plans. In the cards. In the thought process. NONE.

Do you sit around and think about what could go wrong all the time? I am not talking about trying to cover your bases with things YOU can control. Diet. Exercise. Wearing your seat belt. Saving money for the now and the future. I am talking about ALL of those things that are totally out of your control. How in the heck do we even begin to plan for unexpected events?

So, back to my friend, how would I even plan for his death. I have never experienced that emotion…so how can I plan for it. Plus, I might go 1st…which makes all of that planning a wasted effort, right?

What do I need to do to be prepared? Is there anything I can do?

Personally I don't think that anyone can plan for the emotional unexpected. Or even the emotional expected. Our hearts were not created to capture grief before it's time. Our hearts hold onto hope. Our hearts were meant to live in the joys of life…not the sorrows. Do you agree?

Planning for the unexpected…

This whole thought process led me down a rabbit hole for sure! But, it also put things into perspective. Yes, I need to plan for the future. But, I also need to live in the now. Live in the today. And not spend ALL of my time thinking about tomorrow. God granted me today to live…he might not give me tomorrow.

There are a few things that we can plan for. Things that might effect our today's…but are definitely worth it.

• Save money for retirement. Yes, that will require a small financial sacrifice when you are younger…but your older self will be highly appreciative. My mom saved for her future. As a result, we have money to hire caregivers to care for her.
• Save more for the ‘rainy day.' Have an emergency fund. Some type of savings that you can pull from if you lost your job or got sick and can't work.
• Eat healthy. As the old saying goes ‘You are what you eat', in today's world that is even more prominent because most of what we eat is not good for us. Ditch the empty calories, sweets, packaged foods and move to a healthier and clean eating lifestyle.
• Get your body moving. Our bodies age…and if we don't use it we lose it. As I age and get old…er, I am finding that I am a tad more stiff each day. And I need to get moving!

Let me end with this…

live your todays as if you have no tomorrows AND at the same time, plan for your tomorrows because you might 20,000 of them or more.

Now, sometimes life can get pretty overwhelming, right? Especially when unexpected things happen

And sometimes, when you are overwhelmed, stress sets in.

And when stress sets in it is sometimes difficult to be happy or joyful. So, please don’t let stress have the last word! 

Go on and take a look at the ‘Top 5 Stress Reducers’ (Action Plan included). So that you can eliminate what causes you stress and get on the path of living a joyful life.

What is Joyful Living all about?

Joyful Living is ALL about not letting let the circumstances of YOUR life determine who you really are. You learn to choose YOU instead! Not sure how to do that? Let me help! 

To begin, go ahead and read:

What is Joyful Living?

5 Simple Steps to Choosing Joy

Finding Joy in All Things

What Does God Say About Joy?

Difference Between Happiness and Joy