Feeling Stale?

When a conversation begins with "I've been wondering how to say this without offending you", you know it's gonna be interesting. And interesting it was...

A little while back, a good friend of mine told me that I remind her of her mother.

Now, I don't actually know her mother, but I wasn't feeling a compliment in this statement. I've heard enough stories to know where she was drawing the parallel.

But, in my defense, like all people, I like things the way I like 'em. There is a small chance...teeny weeny...that I might, however, take this to the extreme.

I have nothing against spontaneity as long as we have planned for it and it was my idea in the first place. I tend to have a narrow scope of what elements are needed for an experience to be successful, and if the ingredients step out of those boundaries, I am more likely to give up the experience or opportunity all together. I don't think my friend had any idea how much I would take that conversation to heart.

I'm trying to say yes to things that I know will challenge the structured life I try to live. I know how awful this will sound, but I have even allowed myself to be inconvenienced. Again, in my ever so meager defense, we as a people don't usually do what will inconvenience us.

 Because of that, however, I believe we miss out on some of the wonderful unplanned blessings that could be ours. Life gets stale when we try to control it.

I am grateful for this conversation, even though it came up just as a chat in the course of a visit.

I think.