"We must be willing to let go of the life we have planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us." -E. M. Forster
One of my favorite books is one written by John Steinbeck in 1937 called "Of Mice and Men."
It is a parable of what it means to be human and is well worth the read if you have some extra time.Steinbeck said in one of his journals that, "In every bit of honest writing in the world there is a base theme. Try to understand men, if you understand each other you will be kind to each other. Knowing a man well never leads to hate and nearly always leads to love. there are shorter means, many of them.There is writing promoting social change, writing punishing injustice, writing in celebration of heroism, but always that base theme. Try to understand each other."
What I love is the idea that the "best laid plans of mice and men tend to go awry." In fact the title of Steinbecks novel comes from a poem by the Scottish poet Robert Burns called "To a Mouse." The line regarding "mice 'n men" contains the line "The best-laid schemes Of Mice and Men often go awry." It is quite appropriate such that in Steinbeck's novel "Of Mice and Men" contains Lenny and George's scheme that goes tragically awry — that is, off track.
So by now you are wondering why I would write of things not going as planned? The novel itself ends (spoiler alert) somewhat bittersweet and tragic. But not all is lost when things don't quite as planned. For me, I had hoped to have my new book out in time for Christmas. But due to production issues, it looks like January now.
I could fuss and fret over the delay and many of you have been waiting patiently for its release as well. While the "best laid plans of mice and Joe" prevail currently, the book will come out. And like anything we do in life, our plans may not necessarily work out as we would have wished. but we have the opportunity to adjust, to move on and succeed in other ways.
Have a great weekend folks and stay inspired.
