I hate when things don’t go according to plan.
Understand, dear readers, that when you’re a family of eight, you can’t just “wing it.” We have to make plans, or else tiny little human beings might not get fed or bathed for several days.
But understand, dear readers, that when you’re a family of eight, so many of your plans get derailed. And as I stated before, I hate when things don’t go according to plan.
I’m not just talking about when a batch of cookies burn or when you remember to load the dishwasher but wake up in the morning to realize you forgot to press the start button. I’m talking about when life, career, family—like big picture stuff—don’t go according to plan.
Tell me you don’t feel this way sometimes: If I can just get through this week without any major bumps . . . If I can just get through this workday without any problem emails or disruptions . . . If I can just make it through this year without any unexpected expenses . . .
We’ve become convinced that satisfaction lies in everything going according to plan.
. . . except that that makes for an absolutely terrible story. Because everybody knows that to have a good story you’ve got to have a big, fat, juicy conflict that throws all of the characters into a tailspin and threatens to ruin everything.
So why is it when Jane Eyre is wandering starved, soaked, and alone upon the English moors, I’m like
. . . and when Bishop Turpin with four Saracen spears sticking out of his back continues to swing his sword on a medieval hill, I’m all
. . . but when I’m making biscuits at home and I lift the canister lid to find there’s no flour, I’m all
Why?
Because I’ve convinced myself that a boring story is a satisfying tale—that the world where everything is always where it should be, where nothing every goes wrong, where I always remembered to buy enough bags of flour is the best of worlds.
It’s just not true.
Would you read that kind of a book? Why would you and I want to live it then? When God’s story brings complications and conflict, when things break, when plans fail, life isn’t over. It’s just getting started.
The other night Mindy and I watched Mike Birbiglia’s latest The Old Man and The Pool (yes, the title is an homage to one of my favorite novellas).
The show touches on several of Birbiglia’s unexpected health issues and how he’s dealing with the complications in his own story. At one point, while on the phone with his doctor oddly enough, he discovers the concept of sugar fries.
Which is actually a thing—a thing you should in fact make that will help you deal with life’s hardships.
Sugar Fries
Boil or bake several sweet potatoes until soft.
When potatoes are cooled, slice into sticks or wedges (keep the peel if you like it).
Heat a few inches of frying oil in a cast iron pan or dutch oven.
Toss the sweet potatoes in a liberal coating of cornstarch. Be careful not to mush!
Fry until golden and crunchy on the edges.
Dry on paper towels and sprinkle while hot with brown sugar and salt.