My brother in law got some really bad news yesterday about a ‘sure thing’ job that ended up being somewhat less than sure. My first reaction was shock and disbelief, followed by pity (the good kind) followed by a dull acceptance. Until about 3am this morning when it suddenly dawned on me that Bert and I have stopped planning.

I have always possessed a constant urge to plan. I like to anticipate what’s coming around the corner and, even though life is unpredictable and plans tend to turn into twisted incarnations of their once-perfect selves, having a plan has never hurt – so far.

The problem is that life is pretty comfortable right now so I’ve been lulled into a false sense of stability. Never mind that if we want to have kids we need to get cracking. Never mind that Bert is aiming for 2010 but we have no idea what will happen after that. Never mind that if I stay in the office I’m in for more than five-years my career will stagnate.

Never mind, that is, until 3am this morning when suddenly it became critically important to start planning again.

Poor Bert, when he kissed me good night all was well, when he grunted good morning, I had tipped everything on edge.

So I have a plan…