You Can Change the Plan Without Giving Up

I've always had a hard time changing the plan.

Once I decide I'm going to do something, I want to see it through. Usually that's a good thing. Being stubborn has gotten me through some pretty difficult parts of my life.

But I'm starting to realize there's a difference between being persistent and refusing to change direction.

Sometimes life changes. Things don't work out the way you expected. A door closes that you were sure was supposed to open. Something you thought would be part of your future suddenly isn't.

My first instinct is usually to push harder. I'm learning that isn't always the answer.

I've spent enough time in the mountains to know that sometimes the route just doesn't go. You can stand there getting frustrated about it, or you can back up, look around, and find another way. Sometimes you even have to turn around and come back another day.

That doesn't mean the climb was a failure.

I think life works the same way. There have been plenty of times when I've had a very specific picture of what my life was supposed to look like. When that picture changes, it can feel like I'm losing something.

But changing the plan doesn't erase everything that came before it. I still have everything I've learned. I still have the work I've put in. And I still get to decide what the next step looks like.

Recovery taught me a lot about starting over. Maybe resilience isn't having to go back to the beginning every time — maybe it's just choosing another route.

I don't have everything figured out. I'm getting more comfortable admitting that.

What I do know is that I don't have to keep walking in the wrong direction just because it's the direction I originally chose.

The destination can change. The route can change. I can change.

None of that means I'm giving up. It just means I'm still figuring out the climb.

Rise Again.