Man Plans. God Laughs
There’s an old Yiddish adage “Man Plans and God Laughs”
Which to some might seem, sadly, to smack of defeat.
Until you consider, “What if Man Doesn’t Plan?”
And you learn “Then God Laughs Harder!” and the story’s complete.
Yes, our life is like markets. It ebbs and it flows.
Those tragedies and setbacks with life’s territory go.
Our best-laid plans are upended by forces around us.
So, “How can I succeed? And what for sure can I know?”
First, it helps to understand that there are seasons and waves.
That, Mother Nature, Father Fate, are not powers you’ll surpass.
Yet, even in the darkest moments of our terrible plight
It helps to hold onto, “This too, it shall pass”.
And let’s not be crowing too hard and rejoicing too long
When our efforts bring triumph, and our sweat does bear fruit.
For none of us have learned to make good fortune stand still.
Hurrah and pleasure dissolve, if that’s all our pursuit.
With that wisdom, let’s plan as if we’re striving for decades.
Let’s then think with our insight as we map out brief years.
Once that’s done, let us work with mere months in our sight.
But let us live in each day, as it appears and appears.
Yet with all of this planning there’s one matter that’s prime.
It’s to clearly understand where you’re heading in your life.
Is there Purpose and Meaning more than metrics and measures?
For it’s this that gives strength to o’ercome the journey’s strife.
So, remember what happens when we fail to plan out
Our best guess at what’s possible in this wondrous world.
May you face setback with resilience, and success with good grace.
For there’s still good to be done, and your light to unfurl.
For there’s still good to be done, and your light to unfurl.
