A Time for Everything

My daughter surprised me today when she requested that we take one of our longest routes for a family walk. We're blessed to live within easy walking distance of numerous forest paths, and I regularly take walks through our neighborhood and the nearby trails. I constantly encourage my kids to join me on walks, rambling on about the health benefits of regular walking. My kiddos insist that I'm boring because I like walking so much--Who actually enjoys walking for fun when there are so many apps available on this or that device, right? My daughter is constantly looking for excuses not to come along on a walk, which is why I was so surprised when she not only quickly agreed to a family walk today, she requested one of the longest routes through our neighborhood.

Wow, I thought to myself, She wants to go walking! Spoiler alert: It turns out she wanted to take this route because it ends at the neighborhood donut shop, and we ended up taking the bus home with a bag full of donuts. But still, she went on a family walk without complaining! I'll take it. Her motives might not have been the same as mine when it came to wanting the longer walk today, but I was open to the change (I'm always excited for more miles!) and happy that she enjoyed it.

Sometimes life throws us a happy little reroute. It makes me think of Ecclesiastes 3:1, "Everything that happens in this world happens at the time God chooses." There have been so many times when I've worked hard to develop a plan and follow it precisely, only to find that the intended outcome doesn't come when expected, or not at all in some cases. Today my intended outcome was to get my family to join me on a walk in our neighborhood, and I had a specific road in mind. When my daughter suggested a different route, I realized that the real reason for wanting my family to walk together--for everyone's physical health and family bonding--didn't require a specific street; we could accomplish my goals by taking her desired path. And get donuts. Win-win.

Today's post wasn't supposed to be about donuts, and Ecclesiastes wasn't the planned Scripture. Readers who know me won't be surprised to learn that I have a brainstorming journal with notes for all kinds of posts, and I had a very specific "Day One" post all planned out (of course). But I appreciate that my daughter brought Ecclesiastes 3:1 to mind today because it made me rethink my overly-planned post and go with a more genuinely in-the-moment reflection on a small part of our day. Yoga and prayer both happened, but I'm even more grateful for the spontaneous recollection of Ecclesiastes 3:1, one of the most uplifting verses. It was nice to have that little sidetrack to a favorite verse.

When I was in yoga teacher training, one of the best lessons our instructors shared was the ability to adapt to the needs and levels of your students. A yoga teacher might have a very specific series of poses in mind at the beginning of class, but the ability to adapt to the needs and levels of your students in any given moment--even if it's a change as simple as the tone of your voice--makes the journey more valuable and enjoyable for the student. Even a Bikram or Ashtanga teacher--someone trained in a very specific style and script--can make a super-scripted series accommodating to the students' needs through tone of voice and acknowledgement of effort. Following a specific plan doesn't make someone a good teacher; ending a class with yogis eager to continue exploring their practice is a mark of a good instructor, even if that class was adapted from its original plan.

I used to feel stressed when things didn't go exactly as planned. A change as simple as taking a different walking route would stress me out: But now I need to adjust my mileage for the rest of the week to meet my weekly exercise goal! Taking this new route means we need to walk at a faster pace in order to get back in time for my next Zoom call! Yoga and prayer both guide me to take a deep breath in these moments and recognize the good in the new pathway before me. And it's encouraging to know that even when things don't go as I planned, everything is always working according to His plan.