The Best Laid Plans

Today did not work out as planned. I meant to enjoy a leisurely day off, spending time meditating, running to a gift shop I especially like and possibly soaking up some sunshine. It started out well enough. I made some coffee, turned on the computer and began a little web surfing. All of a sudden the thought crossed my mind, "You need to log onto your work site and request time off for you niece's out-of-town baby shower." It was 9:30 in the morning. I logged on to the job site and up popped my work schedule, which highlighted the fact I was supposed to be at work today--at 9:30 in the morning!

Needless to say, my job frowns on coming to work late, but my first thought was, "I know I just checked my schedule a few days ago and I was not scheduled to work for another week!" I have some perfectionistic tendencies--especially revolving around work, and I was furious that I was going to be in trouble for coming in late. I quickly got dressed and did make it in within about half an hour, but I was still quite upset.

I was also a bit unsettled from the day before. I worked for a coworker that day, and I was so busy the whole time I was there I felt a bit disconnected from God--like I didn't have enough time to actively pay attention to Him. I have not quite achieved the vibration of feeling God in everything I do yet, and I was being pretty hard on myself over it. I thought I was going to have the day to get back into that mindset of flow, and now I had to work unexpectedly.

Fortunately, one of my supervisors was there when I got to work. I explained that I had checked the schedule just a few days ago and I was not on the schedule then. I didn't mind coming in, but it would have been nice to have received a phone call or an email letting me know about the last minute change. She didn't know what had happened, but did check into it. Sure enough, she told me my hours were in red, which meant they had just been put in the computer within the past day or two. She told me it wouldn't be counted against me, so I did feel a bit better about that.

Not long afterward, my supervisor sat me down for my annual job review (which went quite well considering I am a fairly new employee). I was scheduled to take a lunch break around that time, so I was down in the offices when I clocked out for lunch. I ran into one of the girls I had trained with a few months back who works in a different department. She was also just going to lunch so we decided to go together and catch up. As we sat down and began to talk, she told me she had just separated from her husband and had filed for divorce.

As she opened up to me with her story, it began to dawn on me why I had been assigned to come to work in the first place. Once again, God and my angels had orchestrated a divine appointment for me. I, too, have been through a divorce for very similar reasons. I too have lived as a single mom. I too have spent time trying to find my place in the world of work after being a stay at home mom. I know how important it is to have a support system of people who understand what you are going through when you endure an experience like that. We exchanged phone numbers and I encouraged her to call if she needed to talk. I thanked God I was placed at work at precisely the right time to connect with this friend so I could offer her what support I had to give.

Life definitely does not always turn out as planned. Sometimes, you find yourself on unexpected paths using your gifts and talents in ways you never dreamed possible. The best laid plans do occasionally go awry. When God intervenes, they come out better!