It Might Be Something Better Than You Planned

At the beginning of September, Dustin had to take our dog, Pieces, to the vet. She has an underactive thyroid (just like me!) so, she is on daily medication. When her prescription runs out, she needs to have blood work done (also, like me!) to make sure there are no adjustments that need to be made. This trip to the vet was for one of those routine checks. Our veterinary clinic is just outside of the city, on the same highway that our acreage was on.

When Dustin came home that evening, he told me he drove past our old place, just to see how it looked. It was a young couple that bought the acreage; they were dating at the time. Some of our mail ended up in their mailbox a few years ago, so they reached out to let us know. We found out that they had since gotten engaged and were getting married that summer. When we sold it, the trees were small, and the landscaping was minimal. On his drive by, he saw that the tiny trees were now towering, and the yard was filled with children’s toys and play structures. He said it made him a little sad to see it… that was what the acreage was supposed to be for us. It was a place where we planned to raise a family – now, someone else was living that life there. 

Fastforward a month to Thanksgiving. Growing up, Thanksgiving was rooted in tradition for our family. Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, sitting around a table sharing what each of us is thankful for. Grandpa’s candid photos of us visiting in my parents’ living room with a fire in the fireplace. Family walks after filling our bellies with turkey dinner and pumpkin pie. This was what I pictured Thanksgiving to be for the rest of my life, but with my own children and with my mom and dad as the grandparents. This Thanksgiving, Dustin and I went golfing with my sister and brother-in-law and we had Vietnamese food for dinner. 

On Friday afternoon, I sat in our living room with a glass of wine. I had the fireplace going, Jaxson and Pieces were cuddled together beneath it, and snow was falling. I started thinking about how lucky I am, for so many reasons. I’m healthy, I have a job that I love, I’m surrounded by amazing family and friends, and I have a marriage that is more solid than ever. I have a number of things to look forward to in the next year. As I thought about all of these things, I wondered how I got to be so fortunate – why am I deserving of all of these things? 

Life doesn’t always go as we plan. Our hopes and dreams don’t always come true. But rather than living in the “what if’s” or “should be’s” I’m focusing on the “what is”. Life is hard. Some things are shitty. Sometimes things work out. Sometimes they don’t. Some days are amazing. Some days feel like you’re never going to make it through. Life is wild, you never know what’s going to happen next. It might be something better than you planned.