By: Andrew Uyeno
When we were younger, our parents planned out every event, from what time we left home, to where we stopped for lunch, to when we went to bed. Planning your day has value in adulthood, but when things don’t go exactly to plan, what then? People who love to plan usually don’t prepare for the unexpected, so when one thing goes wrong, they shut down and call it all off. You ever wonder why when something goes wrong, we get really disappointed and in turn don’t want to continue with the plans? It’s because ever since we were young, we have been groomed to have every part of our lives planned out. If you haven’t noticed yet, humans hate the unknown. That is what fuels our need to know everything and our need to plan out our futures.
Let’s put this into perspective. When you were 18, did you think you would be where you are in your life right now? Did things go to plan? I can guarantee that everything isn’t the way you envisioned. But hey, that’s life right? What we tend to forget is that the best parts about life are the surprises and the unexpected. That’s why we love sports so much, or movies with twists. It’s because we love the unexpected. But we are absolutely terrified to let them happen to our personal lives.
I know it’s easy to plan out your vacation with explicit detail; it sets your mind at ease. Here is the thing. Nothing exciting or surprising will ever happen. Let me ask you a question on life: Would you rather have everything go to plan or enjoy the moments of not knowing? Some of the greatest things in life weren’t expected to happen, such as the creation of the burger or that time you fell in love. That’s why I never really like to plan much out other than who I’m going with. Once we hit the open road, let whatever happens happen. Take those chances you never would before, stop at the sketchy looking restaurant, run through that field, jump off that dock and most importantly, never let time dictate your fun.
Life is about letting go. As scary as that sounds, it’s true. The more and more we limit ourselves, the more we limit the fun we have. This is why, when we are drunk, we tend to have some of the greatest nights of our lives. Now it’s not because of the expensive drinks we just chugged, it’s because we, for the most part, just go with the flow. When we are drunk, we don’t have those fears of our plans not going exactly right. Now don’t get drunk all the time, just use that same freeing feeling, that same confidence, and go on a random adventure.
One of the best summers of my life was right after I graduated high school. Nothing was planned out, we would just get together and go for random road trips, play basketball, explore the near forest and enjoy the moment to the fullest. That’s why we all crave to be “young” again. We want to be free having that need to not know where we are going. In life, people are always going to ask what your plans are for the future. Since they expect you to have your life planned out, at least don’t plan out your adventures. Throw that checklist out of the window, and embrace the mystery of not knowing.
