The Best Laid Plans...

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The best laid schemes o’ Mice an’ Men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!

To a Mouse by Robert Burns (1785)

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Sometimes, life is very surprising. I am a firm believer in making plans and taking charge of your own destiny. There is the old adage that man makes plans and God laughs. It's true. Planning can only take us so far.

Often, Fate messes us up. However, sometimes, things go mysteriously well. In high school, I had a little friend. By that, I mean that I had a friend of diminutive stature. She was not a "little person," but rather, an unusually small person. She had very small bones and was about 4 foot 11, fully grown. I don't think there was anything wrong with her; she was simply small. She was healthy, pretty, and intelligent.

She told me about her childhood. She was adopted. Her adoptive parents had a prestigious/high profile position with the government of Canada. When she was a baby, her parents were heavily investigated by social workers because she was so much under the average size for her age that the government was worried that this wealthy couple, who had gone to such lengths to get a baby, were neglecting her. Of course, they weren't. It is crazy how being at an extreme of normal can cause major issues.

So, first, she was extremely fortunate because she was adopted by these very wealthy and, according to her, very kind, people. However, then, later in life, Fate continued to take a major hand in her life.

She moved from Canada to the United States and worked there for a few years. Then, she decided to take an all inclusive holiday to Mexico for two weeks.

While she was in the swimming pool, she met a man from Chile. They fell in love.

She went back to the US, quit her job, packed up, moved to Chile, and married the man. I could see how this could go very wrong, but it didn't. They have several children and seem quite contented.

Isn't life strange? She didn't choose her adoptive parents, but it worked out very well. Similarly, she randomly went on holiday and ended up finding her future husband.

We think everything is so carefully planned out, and I really think it is important to make plans. However, often, pivotal events in our lives happen by random chance, luck, or surprise. All we can do is make good plans, work hard, and hope for positive surprises like the ones that came my friend's way.

Much love,

Harlow

(P.S. Help the Ukraine with Hivebuzz's NFTs for peace if you can. zirochka has published four articles showing how these funds are already being used to help people in need..)

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Too many people simply give up too easily. You have to keep the desire to forge ahead, and you have to be able to take the bruises of unsuccess. Success is just one long street fight.

Milton Berle, Comedian

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Photo Credit - Couple Jumping into Pool

Photo Credit - Ukrainian Flag - Peace in Ukraine with a free Ukraine soon I hope

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Today is Day 12 of HiveBloPoMo. It's not too late to start, my friends! https://ecency.com/hive-134671/@traciyork/hive-blog-posting-month-aka-hiveblopomo-starts-april-1st-2022