Nobody knows what’s over the horizon until you get there.

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Don’t we all? The bear went over the mountain to see what he could see. The groundhog surveys my backyard for exactly the same reason. The birds on the deck are glad to have discovered the delicious seeds somebody foolishly left on the railing.

All of God’s creatures have dreams and plans, some modest, some grand. All depend on ramblin’ round to see what you can see.

The recruiter stupidly asks the applicant, ”Where do you see yourself in the next five years”? Neither recruiter nor applicant has any way of knowing. They pretend anyway. No one knows what the future holds? How in the world can you plan for it?

Making plans is an act of faith.

1920’s stockbrokers monitored the charts and graphs to thoughtfully plan where to place their next investment only to discover there was no such place; the market was collapsing into the Great Depression.

The former Soviet Union regularly churned out 5-year plans. They needed so many 5-year plans because the things they thought would stay the same, didn’t.

Nothing stays the same. That’s why The great Scottish poet, Robert Burns wrote, “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men gang aft a-gley”. Burns was polite in saying “aft a-gley”; aft a-gley is usually more certain, than not.

Nobody knows what’s over the horizon until you get there.

Ramblin’ round is an act of pursuing possibility. A squirrel may discover acorn or predation. Nothing’s for sure. The same is true of the hawk. One day a squirrel, next day, empty field. Either way, nothing ventured, nothing gained. What else can be done?

It’s mostly a matter of luck.

No, no, no, cries the ambitious optimist. Fortune favors the prepared mind and all that. We must plan carefully, not just bumble around hoping for the best. If the first plan doesn’t work out, we must plan another.

Mmm, I wonder if the former Soviet Union thought much the same as they planned and replanned their 5-year plans.

An old Jewish joke sums it up, “If you really want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans.

The Celts of ancient Ireland considered being lucky more reliable than being competent. No one was eligible to be King unless they were flawless. The clans thought leaders with no battle scars lucky for the rest of the clan. Was that foolish superstition or pragmatic.

By K. L. Shipley

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