Getting Your Ducks in a Row

Are you one of those people who is always organized and everything is in it’s place and a place for everything? Or, are you running around like a crazy person in the last few minutes before guests arrive, trying to give the impression that everything is always in place and you have your act together? Me? I’m both. I’m a recovering perfectionist, trying to be organized without stressing too much.

Life with a chronic illness has taught me that no matter how much I like to plan my day, my body will make other plans. Having my ducks in a row is more of an outline for my day/week/month/life. Life certainly goes smoother when your ducks are in a row. But, sometimes that row of ducks is gonna be crooked.

What does my crooked line look like – – – setting my alarm early, hoping to check a couple of items off my list. But, I wake up exhausted with a headache and a little nausea. It’s ok, I think, because it’s early. I can still get something done. I have to eat so I can take my medicine. I start cleaning and have to stop and rest. My ducks are getting off course.

I have house projects on my to – do list. The big projects are on hold, for now. The days that I have lots of energy have become filled with every day life chores. The biggest project on hold is the last of our moving boxes – – – these are mostly boxes for the home office. I need to corral by ducks and tackle the last of the boxes before the holidays.

If I get my ducks lined up and get to the end of the boxes, will the ducks stay in a row? What will come next? We have very few routine days in our lives. What can we do to keep our ducks in a row? Have a plan. Have a backup plan. Don’t lose hope when the plan gets derailed.

Reflection: Life is full of plans – – – We make plans and change plans. Ultimately, God makes the plans for our life. We have an outline. All we can do is try to follow the outline and . . . keep our ducks in a row.