Of Check-Boxes, Plans and Timetables

A friend asked me last night how the school planning is going. I responded that it is going very well. I allowed over a month for planning, and I have one more week to experiment and tweak before we really get started on a full schedule of work. As I spoke, I realized there is a very good chance these beautiful and exceptionally smooth plans will be taking some detours-- they are just so perfect. So I laughed and said, "In other words, we will probably be doing something completely different in a couple of weeks!"

That was a bit of hyperbole-- but we do have to be prepared to alter our plans. This can be frustrating to me because I have a peculiar fondness for finishing completely and at the time I previously decided we should be done. (It's that checking-the-box satisfaction, you know.) I am reading a book of speeches that C.S. Lewis gave during his lifetime, and found one that is apt for the beginning of a school year. This quote may help me keep my head in the right place this year:

A more Christian attitude, which can be attained at any age, is that of leaving futurity in God's hands. We may as well, for God will certainly retain it whether we leave it to Him or not. Never, in peace or war, commit your virtue or happiness to the future. Happy work is best done by the man who takes his long-term plans somewhat lightly and works from moment to moment, "as to the Lord." It is only our daily bread that we are encouraged to ask for. The present is the only time in which any duty can be done or any grace received. --from "Learning in Wartime"