Planning

 

Many of my conversations in the hospital go like this lately,

Random well-meaning person (RWMP): 

So the match [how residencies are chosen] is coming up.  Are you getting nervous?

Me:

I'm taking a year off, actually.

RWMP:

Wait, so you're not applying?

Me:

Nope.

RWMP:

So what are you going to do?

Me:

Not sure yet.  Lots of ideas, but no plans.

Part of that is intentional.  

My life has been very planned,

so I'd like to take a page from my sister's book,

who has never had a 5-year plan,

(and yet has a college degree, was a bartender in a ski town in NZ, and now lives and works in Zambia),

and 

see where the road takes me.

Once you plan it,

I feel like half the magic is spent.

That said,

I at least want to be able to see my options.

I was toying with the idea of getting a planner,

but 

the beau

had just created this great chalkboard (above) for his planning

with

space for small, medium, and large goals 

in many areas of his life.

He offered to help me make one,

but I recalled I had a roll of butcher paper which would do the trick just fine.

So now,

my desk is covered with this:

 

My lovely friend 

keeps asking if I've filled it in.

I haven't at all.

Not a lick.

But I feel better knowing I have the space to plan when I'm ready.

And I still have all the magic of the unknown

ahead of me.

P.S. Happy birthday to my big sis, Kara!!

---------------------------------

That's the thing with magic. 

You've got to know it's still here, all around us, or it just stays invisible for you.

Charles de Lint