Missing a marathon and ripping out knitting

I'm not a planner by nature.  I don't really like to plan long term because something always comes up and I just hate feeling committed to something that I'm not sure will take place.  I make long term plans reluctantly.

Last January, I signed up to run the Columbus marathon that took place last weekend.  I had done the half twice and just KNEW that I was ready for the whole thing!  I got a book with a training plan and circled the date on my calendar....told everyone about it....I was ready.  And guess what?  I ended up not running; long term plans foiled again.

In July, Mark and I were running a 10 mile race and I stepped into this little dip in the road and twisted my ankle.  Instead of stopping, I finished the race (the twist happened at about mile 2), limping along yet determined to finish so I could wear my t-shirt.  That was a mistake.  My ankle just didn't get better and my training suffered and around the beginning of September, I realized that the full marathon was out of the question.  I switched my entry back to the half, knowing I could complete that, and continuing on with a lighter training schedule.

The first of October rolls around and I get sick.  Now, I never get sick; the rest of my family could be hacking up a lung or running a raging fever and I don't get as much as a sniffle.  But this time, I got a horrible cold that continued to get worse and became bronchitis.  The week before the race I realized that I wouldn't be able to run at all and ended up not even going to Ohio.

Knitting projects are also long term commitments because once one starts, one has to finish.  I usually don't do big projects because they require too much time and commitment and, again, I don't like that.  I also have a knack for making some mistake about 3/4 of the way through something and have to rip out half of it to fix it.  Now, if you don't knit, you have no idea how frustrating it is to have to rip out all of those rows of knitting, and how time consuming!!!  Each stitch has to be removed and placed onto the other needle and rows must be carefully counted to the pattern doesn't get messed up.

But I've learned some important lessons from my missed marathon and my ripped out knitting.  First, my plans don't count for anything because my plans are made in my own selfish humanness.  God has a plan and purpose for each and every day of my life, each and every moment of that day.  I have to be open to what He wants for me, not what I want for myself.  The best part of that is that His plan is always so much better than what I've planned!!!!  Because I didn't go to that marathon, I got to be here for Andrew's soccer tournament and he was named to the all tournament team.  I got to spend some great time with Lily, picking out pumpkins and going for a train ride. Ripping out that knitting often causes some changes to a pattern that makes it better, or I find another mistake that I missed that I get to correct. 

Disappointments are part of life.  Learn from the changed plans and enjoy the ride.