I am living it every day. However, I still stand in disbelief of the amount of planning it now takes to live my life.
I almost said a simple, little life. Intellectually I know that many nearly-63-year-old ladies would find my life complicated. Many of them have not pieced together a career from multiple employment sites or taken four different exercise classes a week (not bragging; just fact).
Still, my life seemed simple to me; that is until my eyes went bad.
Today I am getting transit to school. This is my fourth ride. I stand in danger of jinxing myself, their reputation is not good, but so far they have about a “B”, maybe even a “B+”. Let’s see if the universe now sees fit to make a liar out of me.
From school I have a ride to the rehab center. That is with a coworker, a friend of several of my friends. Continuing to spread the burden; you understand. Whether he was to take me home or to the rehab center was totally dependent upon whether or not I could get a ride home from yoga. If I had a ride, I could visit my husband and walk to class. No ride home? No visit. No class.
No spontaneity. No uncertainty. No room for error.
Spontaneity occurs as the result of a sudden impulse. It happens without premeditation. At least that is what the dictionary says. It gives synonyms as easy and open and genuine.
Leon Seltzer, apparently a spontaneity guru, says spontaneity leads to flexibility. The little bit I read suggested Seltzer is a big proponent of “plan B” and being able to “roll with it” when plans are changed.
I am a proponent of those things too, but I never saw them as spontaneity. I always just thought I was adaptable. In my mind spontaneity is an action but adaptation is a reaction, if you follow me. I may be good at making it up as I go along but it is in reaction to my changing circumstances not something I whimsically just decide to do it.
Seltzer also said spontaneity leads to creativity. I can see how that might be. The serendipitous pairing of two things leading to something new may never occur without spontaneity.
But I think I have become creative without having spontaneity. Some of the plans I cobble together to get from point A to point B to point C and back again are damn creative! Necessity truly is the mother of invention.
The one point I really agree with Seltzer on? Spontaneity can lead to happiness. Sometimes it’s nice to stop for a hot fudge sundae just because. Or stop and listen to a street musician because he caught your ear.
I miss my freedom of movement. I miss seeing there is a good sale and just jumping in the car to go check it out. I miss the opportunity to have spontaneity in my life.
But if I did not plan, where would I be? Doing less than I am doing now I suspect. Some concessions must be made. Like it or not. Planning has become a very necessary part of my life.