I read something that caught me off guard the other day. I wish I could quote it but it went something like this. "There is no need to make plans if you have a destiny."

Couldn't get it off my mind because I relate big time. There has always been something afoot with my life. Ancient of days now and looking back I see . . . nothing I ever attempted panned out but yet everything kept falling into place anyway. What happened seems like the right thing to have happened.

This morning I looked up what those whose destiny was to know all about destiny had to say. And--of course---many of the articles linked destiny right back to God's will. Like the Mormon version--the fabulous "Fore-Ordination"! But you are not stuck with it. No. We have that other bastardized word at our disposal, Agency, which God gave us so that he won't have to be stuck having ALL his 8 billion and counting children coming back to live at home in the basement.

Some of Destiny Experts link destiny to spirituality which they also link to God like trained seals bouncing the same balls off their nose because, well, that's how you get a fish. And, constantly invoking the word God will keep you in tight with the legions who have learned that trick as well. No wonder all the seals out there have their logo fish on the backs of their cars as well. Was it their destiny?


So my destiny this morning was to find this to read:

"Making plans is an adult occupation, a feature of the healthy ego. In fact, though, life often does not proceed according to our plans. This does not have to leave us crestfallen. It can make us excited that something spiritual—that is, unconjured by ego—may be afoot."

THERE IS WAS. FINALLY. MY DEFINITION OF SPIRITUALITY. Cuz I'm like sick of all the definitions I have heard my whole life.

" . . . something spiritual--that is, unconjured by ego..."


Nothing will screw with a destiny or spirituality like religion. Scrape it off folks. Hose it off the bottom of your shoe. It was good for learning how not to live your life. End of usefulness. Beginning of aggravation.

Shame as Mormons we couldn't have gotten the Cliff's notes version of Mormonism and religion and said to ourselves, "EWWWWW". Lesson learned.

I need to make a plan so that I have something to deviate from.

It is your destiny is to deviate from your original plan.

IMHO, what you're seeing is the narrative self in action.

We are a story we tell ourselves about ourselves. It's how we construct sense of things that lack obvious sense.

It's highly edited as well. Don't count on it for detailed accuracy.

I like all the Sergio Leone close-up, cuz I like squinting!

I anticipated. I mean even having kids didn't work out quite right. I had twins. That was never even a thought that crossed my mind. I never thought I'd marry someone gay. That's for sure.

I'm now 65 and wondering what the next part of my life will be like. Not as much left ahead of me as any other time. As my son just rudely cussed behind me about him going to court today and he considers it his dad's fault (and mine since I called).

Life just gets funner and funner. I'd like to think it would get easier???? I know my mother's never did. I can't really complain compared to hers. I have those dogs in the other room. Dogs have been the HUGE surprise of my life. Never anticipated what it was like to love my dogs.

Iff'n your first plan don't work? You gets yourself another plan." Chicken George from Roots.

I never got anything I planned. I got other stuff and it worked out great. That is what makes me curious about destiny.

So . . . dear friend triggered more for me on this subject with a typo substituting ingest for inject. Or was it vice-versa? I forget.



How much of life is ingested from awareness, observation with purpose, and out of left field experiences? Each shining a light on the other.

And, how much is injected into us by parents, schools, religions, the selfish agendas of others. All inoculating you against your self?

Destiny vs Planned Goals? Ingest vs Inject. Nature vs Nurture? All seems to get caught in that whirl pool.


Ingest & Inject. Roll the two together and kiss your control good-bye. Screwed up destiny at best.

You can only play the best game with the hand you are dealt. Or, the genes you were gifted. For now anyway. Genes seem to be fair game these days.

Love the analogy !

:)

"Having a 'Good Time' requires nothing more than having minimal expectations."

--Judic West, enjoying life

Yes. Aiding and abetting serendipity.

And, the secret ingredient to the perfect meal is hunger.

I agree it's definitely very difficult to make plans for the future. I think back to when I was 20 and had to make so many life choices, find a career, go on mission, get a job, make babies, what to study. I didn't have answers to any of it. We're suppose to use wisdom in making life we choices but who has wisdom when your 20? Then life happens and middle age comes and wtf?

The establishment says education is the answer to everyone's problems some say we are each entitled to the American dream and injustice can be fixed by another program, more stuff to do, more taxes.

The sad truth I've learned is that the less than beatiful or less than average have to make the best choices they can with few options. Sometimes it's the choice between to bad opportunities. Yet mormonism celebrates the lucky the pretty, and the smart.

". . .some say we are each entitled to the American dream..." That's the idea all right, but . . .

It's the turning the dream to reality that that no one is entitled to unless you entitle yourself to a nice bit of heavy lifting as well.

Unlike you, I never even made plans for anything. Just what ever I fell into I worked like hell at it. I left SLC for SoCal when I looked around and thought, 'nothing I want here', loaded up a u-haul behind my rust colored hand me down Galaxy and headed out with no plan except to get by on my looks and the $200 in my pocket. Worked out like magic. Destiny?

All I'm saying is for some of us, you just gotta watch for an opportunity and then own it. No one ever asked to see my diploma. I found the people who just wanted to see what I could do and I knew I had to do it big time. Over promise and then come through. Destiny? Maybe that's all it is.

I know a dozen people with high falutin' educations making good money and dreaming of leaving it all for something else. They got what they planned.

Anyway those are my small random samplings of life.