...planned spontaneity...

Andy and I woke up early and spent the morning planning for our next big adventure! His excitement matched mine when we began, but by the third hour, his passion was gone. I can't blame him.

Planning is just plain exhausting.

Scouring the internet, looking up locations, hours, prices and places to eat. Painstakingly making purchases and hoping that it will all work out. Calling attractions on the phone so you can get some much needed information. All while trying to organize your trip around the city into neat piles so that you aren't traipsing here and there all day. And that doesn't include the disappointment when you realize some activities will have to be saved for another time.

Because so much of our itinerary is dependent on outside forces, i.e. weather, we will most likely not be able to stick to our plan, but I feel better knowing that we have one.  I believe that we will be able to react to any disturbances with patience and optimism because we'll be prepared to reorganize our daily adventures to our specific needs in a moment's notice.

There are some people who will vigorously plan, and who will desperately cling to that plan. Should anything happen outside of that plan, they get scared and don't know how to react. Some shut down and cannot function outside of the plan.

Others will almost never bother with a plan, or they'll plan little in an attempt to be spontaneous. Sadly, these non-planners miss out on some exciting adventures because they don't even realize that there is an adventure to be had.

While making a plan is important, there will always be some things that are out of our control and we must adapt. On the other hand, being the right person in the right place at the right time takes some skilled planning. Ultimately, I'm thinking that we're going to need both if we want our trip (and our lives) to be successful.

Are you in the process of making plans? How are they coming along?