We have all heard that “the best laid plans of mice and men go awry.” This quote is actually from the poem “To a Mouse” by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. The simplest explanation is that the best most careful plans can be upended by unforeseen circumstances.
My life is an example of this phrase in cautionary tale. I never imagined getting a divorce for so many reasons and then I never thought I would love someone only to watch them pass. Foolishly, I thought both of these situations would be a sort of one decision then auto-pilot. Clearly I am delusional because I have witnessed the unforeseen occur to so many clients. I have heard many people sit in my conference room and stare into space then say, “I never thought this would happen to me.” I should have known better than to assume permanence in a world of flawed people, unrelenting circumstances and soul crushing flux.
In legal circumstances we are seeking an “iron clad” contract or a written clause to capture the unknown. But the reality is that no matter how well we plan or no matter how many “what-if” scenarios we create serendipity occurs. Lawyers should and are trained to hopefully identify as many possible scenarios in order to capture the unforeseen into a realistic contemplation. However, we can’t always get what we want. Circumstances are restrictive and many times the power we need to exert over the unknown eludes us. Even if the world we envision with someone is fleeting. We can fall forward thinking the world is two dimensional yet be fully unaware of the three dimensional surprises. I assumed that the world was only complicated for others unbeknownst that the unforeseen would land on me.
So the question begs us, “if the best laid plans are futile, why plan?” Human frailty or hope depending on the situation. We are compulsively trying to lasso the chaos into order via lawyers, financial planners, accountants, physicians and coaching. We continue to love people who can’t or won’t love us the way we deserve. We draft plans in the dark that hopefully lead us to the light. We hope beyond experience that the bread crumbs we left behind us will still be there knowing that the mice have consumed these modest morsels. But we grab more bread and start planning again. Because at the end of the day that is all we have left in our control. Our best laid plans.
Albert R. Hartley