Is it silly to be afraid of spontaneity? Perhaps it is. And perhaps we would't admit it or care to bring it up. But when it comes down to it, both of us are chronic planners and ponderers, carefully considering all possibilities before acting.
We plan because jumping into things scares us. I guess we are either control freaks or very, very timid about the unknown. It seems like a silly thing to be afraid of, but hey, don't judge! Is it really any sillier than being afraid of, say, spiders? Well... yes, it is. Anyway. Reasonable or not, it's a fear. So we must conquer it.
Our Easter weekend road trip was the first truly spontaneous thing we've done together. We had kicked around the idea of visiting the Grand Canyon... "someday"... but when Brandie found that the previously-sold-out tickets to the Railroad Revival Tour had become available because of a venue change, Arizona beckoned. Brandie bravely answered the call and snapped up two tickets before I could even look at my calendar. What?
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Brandie was determined, but a little concerned. "What if this doesn't work out?" was a question that ran repeatedly though her mind. We were committed to be in Tempe, Arizona on April 23rd with no plans how to get there or where to stay. *deep breath, deep breath, deep breath*
As scary as this leap of faith was for us chronic-planners, it ended up a wonderful success! Things fell into place that we could not have possibly orchestrated through the most careful planning.
Sure, we drove an obscene number of hours in a ridiculously short amount of time, and we didn't have a clear plan. But you know what? Nothing bad happened for our lack of planning. In fact, we were rewarded with one of the most unique concert experiences of our generation, a day at the marvelous Grand Canyon, a visit with a friend in Mesa, a stop at Joshua Tree, and plenty of road trip singalongs and bonding time.
So...as we've consistently discovered about the things that freak us out (big or small), stepping out of your comfort zone can be rewarding and memorable. Opportunities tend to present themselves to those who take risks (again, big or small), so giving up some control can be a beautiful thing.
We enjoyed this so much and can't help but think about what we would have missed if we hadn't just gone for it. We're planning to be more spontaneous in the future... ;)
How are you embracing spontaneity?
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