“Life is what happens to you when you’re busy making other plans.”
-John Lennon
I’ve been a ball of energy for most of my life. I love to talk. I get overly excited about small things that bring me joy in the moment. I’m quite sure my incessant talking drove my parents crazy when I was young. In fact, I know it to be true because my mini-me, also known as Ava, probably takes the crown from me and, at times, it drives me batty. (I still love you endlessly, Ava girl). The downside to all this creative energy is that, most of the time, it makes it difficult for me to stay focused on one thing, which makes it a struggle, at times, for me to be organized.
Despite this, when it comes to putting together a day trip or vacation, I tend to want to map out everything. The times. The places. Everything. Sometimes that is helpful but admittedly, sometimes it takes away the fun.
Recently, our family had a great lesson in the benefit of getting “off the plan” and just letting life happen. We were on our way to the zoo in Asheboro, which we often do. When we arrived, the place was packed to an extent that they had closed down the entrance to the parking lot until more people left. (But we had a schedule!) So now what do we do? We had at least 45 minutes to kill until they reopened the parking lot. We could have complained. But instead, we quickly searched for something nearby. We found this beautiful century old covered bridge that was less than 10 minutes from where we were. We decided to check it out.
We found not only this historic bridge, but a peaceful creek flowing underneath it. For the next 30 minutes, Blair and I took the kids on a little “adventure” climbing rocks and trees. It wasn’t what we originally planned for our day, but as Bob Ross would say, it was a happy little accident. We did eventually get to the zoo and had a nice time, as always, but I suspect the favorite part of the day for all of us was that 45 minute detour from the plan. As we all navigate our busy lives, let’s try to find some detours from the plan. You might find it to be the best part of your otherwise planned day.
Life’s Detours
