Many moons ago, my daughter Katie and I were members a father/daughter group called Indian Princesses. Since then, they have changed their name to Adventure Princesses. The new name is much more apropos for the way we navigated our trips home after campouts.
This was a time before GPS; when we relied on paper maps, landmarks, sense of direction, and a fearless gut feeling. Before the campouts, we would get written instructions on how to get to the site. And on those fateful Fridays, bonding bound, we wheeled toward a weekend filled with campfires, curious cuisine, and camaraderie. From Friday night s’mores through Sunday morning bacon, we had a busy schedule of fun and frivolity.
But the real adventure began as we head home late Sunday morning.
Though we had written directions to get to camp, we had no directions to get home. But who needs a map when you have an opportunity to explore and the rest of the day to do it?
As the other fathers would convoy down a predetermined path, anxious to get home, I would smile at Katie and ask, “left or right at the next turn?” And off we went to uncover the unknown adventures ahead.
We would drive through farmland and little towns. We would stop at farmstands and fairgrounds. We went to tiny diners in the middle of nowhere and ate some of the best pie anywhere. Those rides home are still some of my fondest memories.
What made them so special was not knowing what was on the other side of the hills in front of us. The not caring about time or being tied to schedules. It was finding new places, seeing new faces, and just doing something unplanned and unnecessary.
Today, most of us tend to avoid surprises. We have grown beyond childhood ways and find comfort and safety in schedules, timetables, and rules. Maybe it’s the cost of gas, the anxiousness to arrive, or the worry of wasting time, but we never just go for a drive anymore. We avoid the road less traveled. We favor the swiftness of shortcuts instead of the whimsy of winding roads.
But I dare you to do something different today. I implore you to find an hour or two in your cluttered calendar; a random time to do something random. Take a minute from your busy schedule to go get momentarily lost. See what’s accidentally out there. Try a different path. Go a different way. Plan some spontaneity.
Don’t wait for tomorrow. Stop reading right now, get in the car and just drive. Flip a coin at every corner. Heads means turn right and tails means turn left. Take a chance on fate and fortune. I don’t know where you’ll end up, but I promise you’ll enjoy the trip if you allow yourself to. Stop for ice cream, a hot dog, or better yet, pie. And when you get there, wherever there is, you’ll realize that that is one of the ways you master happiness.
Planned Spontaneity
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Marty Jalove of Master Happiness is a Corporate Coach, Business Consultant, and Marketing Strategist that helps small businesses, teams, and individuals find focus, feel fulfilled, and have fun. Master Happiness stresses the importance of realistic goal setting, empowerment, and accountability in order to encourage employee and customer engagement and retention.
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