A PLAN GONE ASTRAY - Opening chapter (Scroll down for previous chapters)


   

     I like to have a plan, but I’ve discovered life is much more adventuresome without one.   And plans can go astray; just get up and walk away.  I, personally, have had grand plans that suddenly disappeared.  Just yesterday my four year old grandson was getting into my car.  “Grandpa,” he said, “you need to clean out your car.” 

     “I had planned on doing that this morning, but my plan went astray.”

     “What’s “astray?”

     “That means my mind went one way while I was going the other way, causing me to forget about cleaning the car.”

     “Oh?”

     I love grandkids.  They are satisfied with a brief, simple explanation.     

     During the Dark Ages, I had some terrific plans, but they were all superseded by the plans of my parents, teachers, and anyone else who was older than me.     

     I thought I had the perfect plan for my life; climbing cherry trees, playing in irrigation ditches, and running wild and free on Gramps’ Ranch.   

     But there were others who felt there was more to life than this.  If there was, I hadn’t heard about it.  Surely there wasn’t more to life than running wild and free.

     They told me there was a big world out there, and they wanted to prepare me for it.  I couldn’t imagine a world bigger than my own.  I thought my world was just the right size.  I was perfectly content with cherry trees and irrigation ditches. 

     “No, no,” they said, “You need reading, writing, math, woodshop, algebra, biology, band and anything else we think will prepare you for a big, new world.”  They really didn’t mention all those subjects, but that’s what they meant. 

     My life was about to take a new direction. SCHOOL!  It cut sharply into my wild and free time.

     I had other plans, but they would have to wait.  For now, I would have to follow their plan, through reading groups, math, band, woodshop, and other obstacles too numerous to mention here. 

     It wouldn’t be long before they questioned the wisdom of their plan.  I would provide enough evidence that theirs was a plan gone astray.    

     My experiment with school went smoothly in the beginning,   probably because the life of a lab rat had always been appealing to me.  

     I enjoyed playing with the giant blocks and lying on the rug listening to stories, and taking naps.  Then some undercover kindergartener was tipped off by his older brother that it wouldn’t be this way through high school.  In fact, it wouldn’t be this way next year.  I could see life coming to an end. 


To be continued...check back soon