This year has asterisks all over the place. A planned zig, is currently still zagging. An expected slight right hand turn in August, was actually a hard left. For this financial planner, who spends day in and day out trying to help clients plan and have some energy left to plan for himself, the irony of this year’s events is too rich. In the beginning of the year, as I toiled away on our expenses, I had that moment of sadness yet delight because starting in September we would be down to just one child left in daycare!
Fast forward to today, we do indeed have one child just in daycare, but have another enrolled in full-time Kindergarten at that same daycare center. Poof! Just like that, our free cash flow decided to skip that slight right hand turn towards my savings account, and instead opted for that hard left.
This is the blessing and the curse of all good planning. Also in the beginning of the year, I read this splendid little book titled, “The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life,” by Boyd Varty. It was in these pages that I read, over and over, the lead tracker Renias’ approach to life. The saying goes something like, “I don’t know where I’m going, but I know exactly how to get there.” Although I am nowhere near giving up on some good old fashioned planning, I like the refreshing reminder that not every destination or goal can be exactly known today. I like the reminder that too much focus on the destination makes it harder to be present, watchful and maybe even prepared for the changes that need to be made along the way.
As we enter the last leg of this year, I surely don’t know where we are headed, but I do know exactly how to get there 🙂
Happy Friday! Please be healthy and stay safe!
Time on your hands? Pick up a copy of “The Lion Tracker’s Guide to Life.”