I’m a big fan of planning. I always have been. My cousin and I used to plan elaborate trips and would spend hours getting ready for the next big event. Everything had to be perfect from the place, to the time, to our makeup.
I think I get it from my dad. He has never been a fan of last-minute happenings or unorganized trips, and I think I got some of my love for planning from that.
However, as perfect as the Instagram posts and Snapchat stories from my elaborately planned outings and get-togethers may have appeared, they never seemed to go as I had planned. I would get so worked up and stressed out about being on time and making sure everything was perfect that I would forget to enjoy the moments that were passing by so quickly.
Being in college now, I am learning that everything does not always go as planned. I don’t get all of my assignments done on time. I don’t have the time (or money) to plan fancy trips anymore. And I’m starting to realize that that’s okay.
It is not the overly-organized, perfectly-planned events and getaways that have meant the most to me in the past few months on campus but the spontaneous trips that have turned into adventures. I have found joy in spontaneity. I found joy in coffee shop trips that turn into backseat Hozier concerts with Makayla, the Ratatouille that Gabe and I ate in the music building parking lot, in dancing like Nick Miller with Jackson. in the grilled mac n’ cheese that Ryan and I enjoyed way too much, and in going to get ice cream and ending up in Oklahoma. I found joy in unexpected friendships.
I’m a big fan of planning. I always have been, but I have learned that often the best experiences are the ones where I allow myself to step away from the planning and live in the moment.