“Friends” has always been a source of humor and healing for me. I own all ten seasons and LOVE to binge watch Joey, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe, Ross, and Rachel at any time.

One of my favorite “Friends” quotes ever is, “I don’t even have a pla.”

Rachel had drug Monica and Phoebe into the depths of depression over her inability to get a job and they were drowning their sorrows in a gallon of frozen adult beverages. Of course by the end of the episode, they had found their way onto a new adventure but it just goes to show you don’t always have to stick to Plan “A.” (or Pla “A” in Phoebe’s case)

Like the plans in “Friends,” rarely do our own intended endeavors work the way we hope. Sometimes we don’t even have a “pla,” but we do have options.

 “If Plan ‘A’ doesn’t work, the alphabet has 25 more letter.”

Tuesday night I planned our dinner well. I thawed the pork chops on Monday. I marinated the pork chops Monday night and took them out to warm to room temperature Tuesday afternoon. I sliced and seasoned zucchini and onions, wrapped them in butter and foil, and put them on the grill as it heated. When the grill was the perfect temperature, I added the pork chops. Needless to say, life got in my way. Husband came home with things that needed attention. The four year-old de-programmed the television from the satellite. The six year-old was tormenting the eight year-old. The pork chops died a fiery death.

I had zucchini and onions. I did not have a Plan “B.”

After Hubby got a good laugh at my charred pork chops, we headed to the freezer to see what we could use to redirect our dinner. Fortunately, there were two frozen pizzas and the grill was definitely still hot. We grilled the pizzas and enjoyed the zucchini. That Plan “B” was delicious. (Plan “C” was going to be cold cereal.)

If you are in a situation where your Plan has become a “pla” or your original intents have gone up in smoke, look no further than the next letter or option in line. The new plan may not have been one you considered before (like frozen pizza), but it might just be what you need to fulfill your bigger plans (or your belly). Don’t let set backs be the end of your journey. We can’t always go straight from Point A to Point B, sometimes we need a Point C to get us in the right direction.

Your Intentergy challenge for this week is to remember that there are 25 more letters in the alphabet. If something doesn’t go as planned, redirect your energy and intents to a new point of focus and you will hopefully find a positive place to start.

By: Melanie A. Peters

P.S. If you run out of the original 26 letters, start doubling them… i.e. Plan “AA”, Plan “AB”, Plan “AC”, etc. The options are infinite. 🙂