Meet one of my best real-life friends: Carolyn

~Meet my friend, Carolyn~

Carolyn & I met in grad school - while we were both working as third-grade teachers.

We clicked right away and - at this point - one would think we have known each other our entire lives~ I know you are going to enjoy the post she has written for today!

Do you ever play the whatif game?  As much as it drives me to an early grave, I often do.  Whatif I never get married? Whatif I do get married and realize I made a terrible mistake? Whatif my parents die? Whatif my parents live to be 110 and I have to take care of them?  Whatif my friends finally realize who I really am and run for the hills?  Whatif I always live in this boring part of Ohio where there are no hills?  It goes on and on and on.  Most of the time it is worse in the evening when there is nothing to distract me except TV programs showcasing how fabulous everyone else’s life is compared to mine. Whatif my life is never as good as theirs?  Note to self: cancel the cable service.

My class recently read the poem “Whatif” by Shel Silverstein, a fun poet for kids, but he leans on the strange and incredibly odd side of the table.  If I met him in a dark alley, I’d run screaming a prayer of protection.  Anyhow, here’s how it goes.

Whatif

Last night, while I lay thinking here,
some Whatifs crawled inside my ear
and pranced and partied all night long
and sang their same old Whatif song:
Whatif I'm dumb in school?
Whatif they've closed the swimming pool?
Whatif I get beat up?
Whatif there's poison in my cup?
Whatif I start to cry?
Whatif I get sick and die?
Whatif I flunk that test?
Whatif green hair grows on my chest?
Whatif nobody likes me?
Whatif a bolt of lightning strikes me?
Whatif I don't grow taller?
Whatif my head starts getting smaller?
Whatif the fish won't bite?
Whatif the wind tears up my kite?
Whatif they start a war?
Whatif my parents get divorced?
Whatif the bus is late?
Whatif my teeth don't grow in straight?
Whatif I tear my pants?
Whatif I never learn to dance?
Everything seems well, and then
the nighttime Whatifs strike again!

 

Shel’s got it right.  Some of my whatifs are completely understandable, but some are just ridiculous.  Yet every single whatif is unbelievably terrifying when lying awake at 2:30 in the morning.  I’m thinking the whatifs are nothing but fear from not knowing what’s around the corner and how I in this universe I will handle it without sheer devastation.

Earlier this year, our school had a lockdown drill to practice procedures if we ever had an intruder in the building.  We turned out the classroom lights, locked the door, and hid in a corner as a local police officer walked the building.  We discussed our exit plan and where we would take cover outside if the need arose. Pretty frightening stuff for a child; heck, pretty frightening stuff for an adult!  The kids asked questions.  Question, after question, after question. It was the whatif game in full force. 

They wanted to know every detail of what they were to do in order to be safe IF this ever happened.  I gave as many answers as was appropriate and/or as many as I could.  After seemingly hours of these questions, the next one was, “Whatif this happens when we’re in the library?”  I was at a loss.  There was no way I wanted to, or even could, give them the plan for every possible scenario.  I finally said, “All you guys have to do is look at me, and I will tell you what to do.”  In front of those 25 sets of eyes, it was as if God Himself opened my eyes to what I had just said. 

  
“Just look at Me.  Just look at Me.  Just look at Me, and I will tell you what to do.”   In the movies the ceiling would have parted, rays of sun would have filled the room, and angelic voices would have begun singing.  Why would God give me the exact plan for 10 million situations that will never happen?  It would fry my brain!  Why would God, all at once, tell me everything that will happen and how to handle it?  I just need to look at Him.

So next time you start the whatifs, remember that God will be ready to give you the top secret plan at just the right time.  Just look at Him.

Author’s Final Thoughts: Whatif nobody reads this blog?  Worse, whatif they read it all and hate it?  Oh no, I’m doing it again… already…

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