[2021-11-09] Spontaneity
As an organizer at heart, I love to make plans, especially when I want to accomplish a lot in a short period of time. But I also like routines, as they help me to make time for important activities, such as walking every day. At the same time, I love to be spontaneous—to decide on the spur of the moment to drive out to the country or to accept an invitation to go for a walk with a friend.
I don't know whether it's common to appreciate plans, routines and spontaneity in equal measure, but I do.
I know that it's not easy to be spontaneous, especially when you work full-time and your days are increasingly jam-packed. But spontaneity—even for those of us in retirement—requires choices, the most important being to not overbook our schedules. This quote from author May Sarton reminds us to embrace "empty days":
I always forget how important the empty days are, how important it may be sometimes not to expect to produce anything, even a few lines in a journal. A day when one has not pushed oneself to the limit seems a damaged, damaging day, a sinful day. Not so! The most valuable thing one can do for the psyche, occasionally, is to let it rest, wander, live in the changing light of a room.
Spontaneity can mean doing something unplanned, but it can also mean doing nothing unplanned. I love the imagery of living in the changing light of a room—just sitting and watching the light change in a room as the hours pass by.
Empty days offer an opportunity to be spontaneous by doing what feels right in the moment. Even if our days are rarely completely empty, a little bit of unstructured time is good for the soul. As comedian Steven Wright said, "Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow."
