Last week I mentioned my two-windows-a-day April cleaning strategy.
That was before the pollen settled in. So I’ve shifted that window cleaning time frame. It was a obvious choice.
Plan A wasn’t going to work. So a Plan B was necessary.
The older I get, I’m finding Plan Bs are often necessary. Sometimes I wonder if I wouldn’t be better off to go ahead and start with Plan B.
Shifting to Plan B hasn’t always been easy for me. For a while it felt like giving up. It felt like I’d failed. It felt – well, bad.
Then I had an epiphany – thanks to a young pal of mine. She was five at the time. We were making pancakes for dinner. After burning three batches (I know, I know…) she walked over to me with a loaf of bread and said, ” I think we need to wake up and smell the burnt pancakes. French toast sounds good to me.” Plan B. It was that simple.
Burned pancakes and French toast became my metaphor for Plan B. So when what I’m doing is not working or what I’ve planned clearly will not work, I imagine that beautiful child’s smirk, smell the pancakes and figure out the french toast for the situation.
How do you know when it’s time for Plan B? How do you make the shift?
Lisa’s Cheap Therapy blog 
I love this. You have some cool little people in your life.
I, too, tend to see the need for a Plan B as depressing, if not a total failure to measure up to expectations. Thanks for the different perspective.
I make the shift to Plan B only if I have to. Maybe it would be less distressing if I didn’t feel so hurt by the whole process. It always comes back to the control issue and acceptance for me. Sigh.
glad this one hit home for ya, Robin. and yup, i DO have some cool little people in my life.
know what you mean about allowing Plan Bs to NOT be such a negative gig. know you aren’t asking for advice. i can tell ya that it DOES get easier with practice. ::sigh::
Well, what can I say? Most of my life is Plan B!!! (Second husband, children with the help of science, ending up in education when I made a point of never taking an education course in my undergraduate days, never taking a typing course and ending up in the 21st century when touch typing is next to necessity………). Need I go on? Plan B rules!!!!
Wow! Those look scrumpcious! Pour some Maple bliss on top with a few blueberries and I’m ready to go. Definately stick with Plan A for breakfast. Opps, this discussion is of something deeper…Sorry! 🙂
That’s an awesome story. I’m generally good at coming up with a Plan B in advance, but I’m horrible at deciding when to give up on Plan A — like you say, it feels like I’m giving up, and that if I just struggled a little longer…….. 😀
Mary Louise, from one princess of plan Bs to another – rock on!
Rick, hope you have (unburned )pancakes tomorrow! 😉
MC, what a relief to know i’m not the only one who’s juggled accepting plan Bs~ whew.
thanks, ya’ll!
Plan B can be good. I use to feel guilty switching to Plan B but now it’s usually a relief especially those times I tend to make things complicated.
Joan, doesn’t it feel great to be in a place where guilt is no longer the main reason reason for doing things? yay us! thanks for commenting.