Thankful for a Plan

Thankful for a Plan

Noel Laflin

1-26-15

My mother once told me about an observation an elderly neighbor had made of me long ago.  So,whenever I get in a rut nowadays, I try to recall that line from old Joe.  He was reported to have quipped, according to mom, “That boy – he always looks like he has a plan.”

I take comfort in those words, especially when I’m feeling rudderless, stymied, lethargic, mentally beaten-up, or just plain overwhelmed with indecision.   And even if our elderly next door neighbor never did elaborate further as to just what kind of plans a five-year-old might have had in mind at the time, I know that he must have seen something in me that kept me driven and gave me purpose.

Thus, when a new plan in this present life is needed (as is all too frequently the case with adulthood), the older me of today will immediately call upon that young boy to step across the decades and lend a hand in sorting things out.

And while I am reaching out to the lad of long ago, I often walk across the old driveway, shake Joe’s hand, and say ‘thank you.’