The Master Plan

Up to now, I have been living my life according to “the plan”.

I am not one that likes to let things just happen.  I rarely make decisions on impulse or at the last minute.  I am not saying that I can’t be flexible and adapt to change.  Working in Government, I have had to change course or let things go based on changing priorities or new management. I seem to be able to do this fairly easily and without second thought.

But when it comes to my life, I don’t leave things to chance.  It seems that my life is clearly laid out and that I have gotten on the train without thinking of getting off before destination.

When I graduated from high school, the plan was to get a career, meet the man of my dreams, get married then have kids.  And it’s exactly what I did.  I never doubted that it would not happen which is a good thing because I did not have a “plan B”.

Because growing up I idealized my mom and the person that she was, the plan was to work in Government.   I started my career as a secretary and becoming a Communications Advisor, and more specifically in Web Communications, was not part of the plan.  In retrospect, I could not have planned this because the Internet was not even invented at the time (well perhaps it was, but no one had computers back in 1984 when I got my first full time job).

It was part of the plan that we would “someday” buy a house but it was precipitated when one day my dad suggested we buy 2 semi-detach houses and live side-by-side.  The move came quickly and although we we had not planned to be homeowners at the time, we can’t thank my dad enough for making this happen for us.  His plan became our plan and we happily lived side-by-side for 13 years.  My daughters got to live beside their wonderful “pépère” and he took care of them as he has taken care of me throughout my life.

In 2000, we decided to spread our wings and buy a single family home.  Our plan became my dad’s plan as he also decided to move to a condo.

The plan was to live in our new house for 15 years, then move into a condo of our own and travel the world once we retire.

But again, the plan has changed and we bought the cottage.  I would not say it was on the spur of the moment as we had talked about it for the past 4 years, but it was sudden. The plan is to spend our summers at the cottage and buy a smaller house to live in during the colder season after we retire.

But a plan is only that, a plan.  Along the way there have been slight delays, bumps in the road and change of track.  That’s what keeps life interesting.

Both Serge and I like to talk about and make plans for our retirement which will happen in the next 3 to 4 years, according to the plan. 

In the meantime, I plan on having lots of happy family times, do some travelling and spend lots of time taking photographs.

In the end, I hope that life’s “master plan” includes Serge and I living a long life and growing old together, because that is also my plan.