Plans are but figments of your imagination. Yes, they appear perfect and wholesome in the minds eye, but like all other figments, pink elephants per exemple, they can never take shape in reality. (Ty, Sarah! *g*) No matter how perfectly you plan a day, how impeccable your To Do list might be, something inevitably goes wrong. The lines of causualty are far to dense and intricate for one to account for in a plan. No matter if the plan is for an hour, a day, or the rest of one's life, there are variables for every possible decision. From experience, I know this. Each morning, I write a list. Perhaps it has five items, maybe fifteen. Once it had thirty. By the end of the day, I have crossed out two. What happened? I worked as hard as I could, yet it wasn't enough. What changed? Several people I know have their lives sublimely planned out. After highschool thus will happen, then such and such. It seems flawless, ja?
How many plans come to the ultimate end? But then again, how shall we define this "ultimate end"? Take the example of the long list. Is the ultimate end having all 30 items gleefully checked off? Or is it something more? Do we cross the item off for the sake of doing so, or for the sake of doing the the thing, per se? Obviously the latter. (Perhaps I may be a single exception: I ruefully admit to occasionally adding items to my list for only the pleasure of checking them off. It gets horribly discouraging when you work so hard and seem to have accomplished nothing.) We have concluded that it is for the sake of the act that we make plans. And so, if the plan is thwarted, and the act is not successfully done, do we call it a FAIL? No. The list can be crumpled and burned, but there is a second act in place of the one which was lost. This is the act which conflicted with the planned one. It is possible, though not always easy, to transform all these anomalous mistakes into worthwhile things. Things, as such, which could be counted among the planned items. Is this clear?
In short, we can plan our lives away, and lament our distress when we don't clear the hedge on the first jump, or we can make the best of the situtation no matter how drastic it is. It can be regarded as the Omnipotent Master Plan - we write down half of the items which we wish to accomplish, and God provides the other half for us, as He sees fit.
My dearest Jane,
You once exclaimed to me: "Oh, what are men to rocks and mountains!" May I have the pleasure of informing you? Men are exceedingly akin to rocks and mountains, from my point of view. Perhaps it will become your point of view in a moment as well. Men are strong, steadfast, durable, and cunningly unobtrusive, if they wish to be. This is as rocks. As mountains, they are somewhat similar in a different nature. They, most, are tall. (Yet, even those that are not of exceeding height may be intelligent and good natured. This has nothing to do with mountains, and I include unheightly men in my analogy. But it is far from me to leave possible the assumption that I retain a position biased against those of average height. I speak from my own experience. Proceeding-) Tallness, however is not a vital aspect of man. Rather, this mountainous altitude is analogous to their levels of mens' complexity. Nay, I do not claim that the taller the subject the more confusing he is. Men are undoubtedly quite simple, but it is this simplicity which reflects from unassuming ignorant, young ladies as an intricate pattern of intended mystifying bewilderingness. Mountains are tall, beautiful and simple. Men are tall, handsome and simple. Let us leave it at that. I thank you for you time, my dear Jane.
With love,
C. Esperanza
P. S. I must not conclude without giving you this one note of advice, don't assume because men are simple in nature, they are simple in mind. You, of all people ought to know this.
J: Her hair is curly...
C: I think she meant to do that.
Beyond the Unseen doorway,
Over the black marble wall
Along the path, cracked and grey,
Into the clear crystal hall.
Treading the aisle of glass
Approaching a Brilliant Light
Blinded by the sought at last
He foolishly fled in fright.
[Reference to my Catholic interpretation of Plato's Cave)
Tip: It is worse to be blinded by darkness, than by light.
"I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands: One Nation, Under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Red - Valor and bravery
White - Purity and innocence
Blue - Vigilance, perseverance, and justice
Purity, and justice, eh? I think a couple politicians forgot about that. Americans hang flags a lot more than other countries. Stores, cars, houses... nearly everything is adorned with them. That's because we're so proud of our country! This pride, in thousands and thousands of cases, is on the edge of the well sharpened knife. Why would we be glad to hang a symbol of the right to innocents' destruction? I wouldn't.
As a matter of fact, I'd be ashamed to.
TIP: Vote for life, so we'll have a real reason to be proud of America.