Rolling with the Punches

I am proud to say that I recently learned how to (and how not to) install kitchen cabinet pulls.  I purchased 3-inch pulls and even got a template (per the advice of a wonderful handyman I know, aka my husband!) to use to mark the holes before I drilled.  Needless to say, the doors are now marked for 4-inch pulls and have the 3-inch pulls installed.  Meaning, we had to get a little creative, and we also came into a little luck that the handles covered the 4-inch drill marks by design!  No one will ever know the difference... unless they read this blog!

Today I thought I'd write about rolling with the punches, or being flexible.  I used to be a planner.  By that, I mean that I planned everything:  school, marriage, life.  I had a daily, weekly, and monthly plan in addition to my 5-year and 10-year plans.  When something I planned didn't work out quite the way I'd expected, I had to be flexible.  I realized that I didn't have to be an A student, keep my house immaculate, and say all the right things to all the right people.

I am graduating with a Master of Science degree in a week.  I started the program with the idea that I didn't need to get all A's.  I worked as hard as I could within my limits, and guess what?  I got all A's except one A- (in a particularly difficult class, I might add).  I didn't stress; I didn't plan every waking moment.  I did it in two and a half years, one class at a time.  I didn't plan which class ahead of time or what night it had to be on or how I would fit it into my full-time work schedule.  I just did it.

And in the meantime, I've traveled, worked, bought a house, enjoyed my marriage, hung out with friends, and played with my cats.  I am proud to say that I don't plan every moment anymore.  Amazing!  A Virgo and self-professed perfectionist that doesn't not need to have everything scheduled to the second!  Yes, I have a list of things I'd like to get done in a certain amount of time, but I'm flexible.  If it's raining on a day I want to be outside, I find something equally satisfying to do inside.  After all, if you plan everything that exactly, don't you miss things?  I know I would have missed out on an education, a marriage, a career, a house, and many other things if something I'd planned hadn't gone wrong.  So, roll with the punches.  See where it takes you!