Did you grow up watching the A Team? I know I’m dating myself by asking, but maybe you’ve seen re-runs. Oops, dated myself right there too, didn’t I?
Back to the A Team.
Do you remember their black van with the red stripe, those characters and their catch phrases?
“I pity the fool…”
The guy they called “Face” because apparently he was so handsome? (Wonder if that guy ever got over finding out that he wasn’t all that handsome?)
And my favorite, “I love it when a plan comes together” said by the guy with gloves, chomping on a big cigar.
Being a child of the 80’s, I’m sure it provides fuel for cult classics.
It may also provide cause for psychotherapy, because “I love it when a plan comes together” has been true for me. I DO love it. I enjoy planning things and watching them come to fruition.
There’s just one tiny problem…
When the plans DON’T come together. When the plan doesn’t work out. When all the best arrangements and orchestration goes down the tubes and you’re left with a big rats’ nest of problems, similar to Bon Jovi’s look during their Hair Band days. The internal decision is there – do you pout and withdraw or go with it? Can you get over it? Can you allow for the unknowns, leave room for the not-always-negative improvised and natural moments that come when we don’t orchestrate every.single.detail?
It might be challenging for some, easier than you’d think for others. Which way do you lean?
Want to share a story of plans gone awry? We’d love to hear from you!
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(This is a short link up with Five Minute Friday, hosted by Kate Motaung. We let ourselves write without listening to the inner critic, just write for five short minutes and put it out there. Then we get to see all the ways people interpreted the prompt, all the different ideas people have. It’s a lot of fun, with people from all over the country, and it’s open to anyone, so if you’re interested, click on Kate’s name and add your five minutes!)
Oh my word – you have me in some serious flashbacks! I hadn’t thought about the A Team in years. And I had forgotten about the guy that said”when a plan comes together.”
God’s been building quite the plan in our lives over the last couple of years. For a long time I didn’t see it. I thought something was being taken away or that I was just in a wait cycle. And perhaps that second piece really is true…but He’s been working this plan the entire time. And I’m finally aware of it and, while the outcome is unknown, I truly feel that I’ve reached a point in my faith that I’m not worried. Not afraid. His plan for me is better than anything I could come up with on my own…
Visiting tonight from #fmfparty!
LOL! I love the 1980’s references in this! You and I are probably close to the same age because I totally remember both the A-Team (“If you have a problem, if no one else can help, and if you can find them, maybe you can hire the A-Team.”) and the fabulous big hair days of Bon Jovi! I am like you and so enjoy watching a plan come together. I think it’s one reason I love piecing a quilt together. There’s something so neat about seeing all these different fabrics in many pieces come together to create a pretty pattern and a whole piece of fabric that will keep someone warm or hang as a decoration to beautify a room. You have to do a lot of planning before you make the first cut but once you start and everything comes together, it’s so amazing to watch it all take shape. Of course, if you don’t plan correctly, things don’t go together quite right. There is an old adage in sewing — “measure twice, cut once” — which is to say, plan carefully before you begin. Most of the time when things don’t work according to plan in quilting it’s due to having not read the instructions of a pattern correctly or measured quite right when cutting strips or squares or other shapes. Thankfully, some very smart person a long time ago invented a seam ripper for those moments when you sew the wrong pieces together or neglect to line up your seams. Thankfully too, there’s the internet for those times when you mess up with cutting your pieces, run out of fabric and your local shop has no more of what you need. Quilting (and sewing in general) is all about planning. I’m not so good at it, so a lot of my quilting plans go awry, but practice makes perfect! One day, my plans will come together!
I too love it when a plan comes together. In the not know of seeming chaos when it doesn’t I am despairing only because I am reminded of my real lack of control in life. Thank you for the reminder that he holds each moment close
Love your writing! A plan that comes together is a jewel to behold, indeed.