Recently, while browsing the hospital gift shop, my sister found this birthday card that had a piece in it called, “Life Is All About How You Handle Plan B”, by Suzy Toronto. We both loved it. Next to the cards we discovered calenders for 2013 with a different piece for each month, like “Never Under Estimate The Power Of A Hissy Fit”. We both bought one of the calenders, we plan to frame each piece because they are fantastic. We also plan to read the book, The Sacred Sisterhood Of Wonderful Wacky Women”.
The piece is too good not to share:
Life is All About How you Handle Plan B
Plan A is always my first choice.
You know, the one where
Everything works out to be
Happily ever-after.
But more often than not,
I find myself dealing with
The upside-down, inside-out version —
Where nothing goes as it should.
It’s at this point that the real
Test of my character comes in..
Do I sink, or do I swim?
Do I wallow in self pity and play the victim,
Or simply shift gears
And make the best of the situation?
The choice is all mine…
Life is all about how you handle Plan B.
It got me thinking about my life and how pretty much it is a series of plan B. And we never planned for Plan B, it comes with it’s own charted and uncharted waters.
Plan A was just get through high school and stay under the radar. Plan B, I ended up pregnant and gave the baby up for adoption.
Plan A, I got married with Cinderella dreams and it ended in divorce a few years later and Plan B was I found myself a single mom.
Plan A, I got married again, this time with somewhat more realistic dreams to the man I called my Hero, but later found out I spent 22 years married to a man who had never wanted to marry me in the first place (his words not mine) and the last few years living what I felt were our best years, while listening to him daily lie to me about his love for me. Plan B became single again in my late 40’s and a sincere lack of trust for much of anything that any man will now tell me as far as how he feels about me. To say my views of the male side of the species is jaded would be spot on.
I could delve into a lot of other examples but those are the primary ones that come to mind. It sucks when Plan B pops up, at least initially. However, if life is all about how you handle Plan B…well honestly over all I think I’ve done well. Oh I didn’t always just accept it with arms open wide, and sometimes fought against it a bit, but eventually I came to realize that Plan B can have a lot more to offer.
When the current Plan B first began, I spent some time wallowing in self pity and honestly I don’t feel I played the victim, I WAS the victim. And I jumped into far too many relationships really fast looking for a balm for my wounded heart. But I started to embrace being single and now I see the benefits. Trouble was then along came the Biker and now I am stuck at a fork in the road with entirely too many paths to choose from. And I’m not sure that I’m ready to ever again be Mrs. __________ (fill in last name of whichever man is vying for my hand).
I’m currently living the Plan B dream of sorts. No, not making the kind of money I WILL be making (trust me I will). But I’m working for myself. I get up when I feel like it, go to bed when I want too. I have FREEDOM. I dyed my spiky locks auburn for a while, now they are bleach, skanky blond. I am saving for some new tattoos (having ink envy big time looking at my daughter’s gorgeous, latest tattoo that wraps around her body). If I want to walk around in the morning with bed-head, scratching my butt, farting and then pee in the shower, I have no one to worry about offending with the unladylike behavior. I’m finding it difficult to nurture a relationship along when I am the only person I really feel the desire to nurture. I’ve been told I’m selfish and self centered for my “life is all about ME” attitude right now, and for not being able to give my whole heart to another, because I am still mourning the loss of the man who truly was my Hero. Well then I suppose I can carry that label too. Because right now, that is Plan B – ME!
I’m re-examining my faith and getting back into my Bible study and finding a church home. Not one I can go to with someone else as a couple. Some where to go ALONE. I don’t want to be “Marti & _____” when I go there.
I am building my business and have taken on another that has even greater earning potential to have me sitting very comfy in a short time financially. Those take up a lot of time right now and I LOVE what I am doing.
I want to be free to enjoy the friendship I have with several male buddies. Not booty buddies, they are FRIENDS. One is a former lover (Mr. Wonderful) but our friendship stayed very much intact and his wisdom offers a sweet balance to my ADD and OCD ways at times. I want that freedom to go enjoy a drink and help him mend his relationships, share about my faith walk etc. with him. But that causes waves in my relationship with the Biker.
Marriage is off the table with the Biker and every other man, and not sure it will ever be served as an option again. Marriage honestly isn’t a side dish I want with my meal of life with any man at this point. I’m not at a place where I want to deal with “why haven’t I heard from you yet today” when I wake up and don’t text a good morning until it is now “good afternoon”. I don’t want to cause waves in the relationship ocean because I went and saw a movie, or checked out a band, or had a drink with an old male friend who I may or may not have slept with at some dot on my timeline of life. I’m just not happy being tied down, my spirit wants to soar the skies right now.
I’m not seeking other options or wanting to keep my options open. The only option I want is to explore Plan B MY way, in MY time, on MY terms. I get that it is not what the man in my life wants right now, but we are not at the same place with wanting a relationship. And if that is selfish, so be it. Then I guess I am self centered. When one is independently owned and operated, it IS all about ME!
Marti Gardner 