It goes like this.....................
"Hey, why don't we hop in the car, head north and see what we find?" OR.......
"Look, there's tickets available for a concert tonight. Wanna go?" OR............
"Why don't we check out what's happening at so and so's house........"
Planned spontaneity can be just as much fun as and opened ended as a surprise. All you have to do is make one decision, remain open minded, lower your expectations and go............. This is such a difficult thing to do when one is living a scheduled lifestyle of work and familial obligations, when your day is chock full of "to do's." But, when one is able to step away from the daily grind, one can have the luxury to create an opportunity that may lead to some unexpected surprises that are out of the ordinary.
The first such event happened Monday night when my husband and I ordered Lyle Lovett tickets online, drove into Toronto, shucking parent responsibilities for the time being, had a quick dinner without having to cut up anyone's entree, and sat down a few rows from the front of a stage. As soon as we settled in, we both laughed at how quickly this evening had been arranged..............no time for "looking forward to it"...............a spontaneous.............let's do it........moment. We were not disappointed. For three hours, Lyle and his "Big Band" entertained the house. It was magical................after all these years playing his music and always enjoying his witty lyrics and off the beaten path style. There he was in full glory singing all the songs we knew backed by an 18 piece band that was amazing! The venue is a well known concert hall in Toronto with great acoutics. The only downfall was that I had to sit in a seat and not get up to dance. Though, I think I wiggled and swayed enough to drive the person behind me crazy....................oh and I sang along.............
Halfway through this planned spontaneity, I was overcome with that wonderful feeling you get that tells you that Life is Good.
Planned spontaneity is what makes up memorable moments in life.......................the cherries in the drink..................the discovered cache of blackberries waiting to be picked...............
Late last night, my daughter and I arrived home after a two day stint in an area where I spent many years of my childhood and adolescence. It had been years since I drove those familiar backroads that cut through the Canadian Shield, that are decorated with splendid vista views of lakes and pine............and it was the first time for my daughter. Not really knowing what we would find, we ended up spending the evening in a cottage with a camp alumni and then spent yesterday hanging out at the old camp I attended in my youth. Kawabi is closed now........this is the first summer it's not teeming with boisterous anklebiters and a flurry of activity, all hepped up on silly songs, crazy skits and woodland crafts......... We had the place to ourselves for most of the day. And as I relived the flood of memories, as we toured the whole area, checked out the archery range, jumped on the trampoline, swam in the lake and made a craft..........I had this bizarre feeling that I had never left. Familiarity...........all the sights and the smells........the comfort of walking down a path littered with roots, canopied by beautiful pine trees........it was good to know that it will always be there.
Our planned sponaneity also brought forth a reunion with an old friend, and dinner with the owner and her daughter whom I havent had a chance to have a long talk with in such a long time. When we got back in the car to make the 3 hour trip back into the city, my daughter crashed in the backseat and I put on my CD that was filled with the old tunes from my counsellor days...........................
Most importantly.....................our planned spontaneity offered us a relaxed, unrushed, unstructured chunk of time to share our thoughts.................the thoughts and topics that often get pushed aside when one is rushing to get out the door in the morning to school and work.....
Looking forward to other spontaneous happenings..................and fortuitous moments that are uplanned..................blessings, really. No urgency allowed.
"Hey, why don't we hop in the car, head north and see what we find?" OR.......
"Look, there's tickets available for a concert tonight. Wanna go?" OR............
"Why don't we check out what's happening at so and so's house........"
Planned spontaneity can be just as much fun as and opened ended as a surprise. All you have to do is make one decision, remain open minded, lower your expectations and go............. This is such a difficult thing to do when one is living a scheduled lifestyle of work and familial obligations, when your day is chock full of "to do's." But, when one is able to step away from the daily grind, one can have the luxury to create an opportunity that may lead to some unexpected surprises that are out of the ordinary.
The first such event happened Monday night when my husband and I ordered Lyle Lovett tickets online, drove into Toronto, shucking parent responsibilities for the time being, had a quick dinner without having to cut up anyone's entree, and sat down a few rows from the front of a stage. As soon as we settled in, we both laughed at how quickly this evening had been arranged..............no time for "looking forward to it"...............a spontaneous.............let's do it........moment. We were not disappointed. For three hours, Lyle and his "Big Band" entertained the house. It was magical................after all these years playing his music and always enjoying his witty lyrics and off the beaten path style. There he was in full glory singing all the songs we knew backed by an 18 piece band that was amazing! The venue is a well known concert hall in Toronto with great acoutics. The only downfall was that I had to sit in a seat and not get up to dance. Though, I think I wiggled and swayed enough to drive the person behind me crazy....................oh and I sang along.............
Halfway through this planned spontaneity, I was overcome with that wonderful feeling you get that tells you that Life is Good.
Planned spontaneity is what makes up memorable moments in life.......................the cherries in the drink..................the discovered cache of blackberries waiting to be picked...............
Late last night, my daughter and I arrived home after a two day stint in an area where I spent many years of my childhood and adolescence. It had been years since I drove those familiar backroads that cut through the Canadian Shield, that are decorated with splendid vista views of lakes and pine............and it was the first time for my daughter. Not really knowing what we would find, we ended up spending the evening in a cottage with a camp alumni and then spent yesterday hanging out at the old camp I attended in my youth. Kawabi is closed now........this is the first summer it's not teeming with boisterous anklebiters and a flurry of activity, all hepped up on silly songs, crazy skits and woodland crafts......... We had the place to ourselves for most of the day. And as I relived the flood of memories, as we toured the whole area, checked out the archery range, jumped on the trampoline, swam in the lake and made a craft..........I had this bizarre feeling that I had never left. Familiarity...........all the sights and the smells........the comfort of walking down a path littered with roots, canopied by beautiful pine trees........it was good to know that it will always be there.
Our planned sponaneity also brought forth a reunion with an old friend, and dinner with the owner and her daughter whom I havent had a chance to have a long talk with in such a long time. When we got back in the car to make the 3 hour trip back into the city, my daughter crashed in the backseat and I put on my CD that was filled with the old tunes from my counsellor days...........................
Most importantly.....................our planned spontaneity offered us a relaxed, unrushed, unstructured chunk of time to share our thoughts.................the thoughts and topics that often get pushed aside when one is rushing to get out the door in the morning to school and work.....
Looking forward to other spontaneous happenings..................and fortuitous moments that are uplanned..................blessings, really. No urgency allowed.
1 comment:
I love this post! You have me watering at the mouth during the last few moments I have left before I actually leave for the Smokies. Vacation, here I come!
So glad to see the decompression period is bringing you lots of good down time. I agree with you about the spontaneity factor, and have had some wonderful encounters with life that way. Somehow, the little things that happen make the journey a lot more fun and bearable. It's all good, isn't it?
Will chat with you when I get back!
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