By Brandi L. – Jupiter, FL
I have learned that living a life that is serious and methodical is boring. For me, organizing and planning every minute of my day does not leave enough time for spontaneous fun. How can you stop and watch the world happen if you are too busy rushing to your next appointment? How can you find the “diamond in the rough” if you do not go off course? How can you have your aha moment if you do not allow your mind to drive it’s own creativity?
I am not a planner & I do not like to commit to schedule. Dinner reservations are too constricting. Planning a vacation a year in advance is confusing. How do I know what I want to do next October? Last year, on a whim I decided to take the kids to Sea World for the weekend. I had never been there & had no idea what to expect. I quickly found myself frustrated because if you have ever been to Sea World, you know having a bag is a major nuisance. You cannot take your bag on most of the rides & have to lock it in a locker at a few dollars a pop or lock it up for the day & run back and forth every time you need something. I found myself annoyed with the day because I seemed to be chasing my purse around all day. We finally got to the whale show & to be honest I was ready to leave. This is when my daughter asked if we could see in the splash zone. The splash zone? Really?
Now, I did not want to get soaking wet with killer whale water; but as a parent I took one for the team and we sat front and center in the Splash Zone. I put my hair in a hat & we sat there talking about whales & how wet we are going to get. She wanted to get there early so we could get good seats, so we sat there for what seemed like an hour waiting. I watched people slowly trickling in around us putting ponchos on & tucking socks in backpacks thinking they are just going a little overboard. How wet can you get? Geez people.. Don’t sit here if you are scared of a little water.
Well…in case you haven’t been, the splash zone is NO JOKE! Not only are you given a literal bath by killer whales, you are given a saltwater bath. We were drenched from head to toe in freezing cold, stinky whale salt water! Even my hat didn’t keep my hair dry! Our clothes were stuck to us & our shoes were slipping off our feet. I was in absolute awe of the amount of water you could squeegee off of us. This turned my upside down day all around & we just stared at each other in our yucky wet clothes. We stayed after the show & watched people drying themselves off. We watched women trying to fix their hair & makeup & just laughed at the people watching.
By the time we got back to our hotel, our hair was almost dry, but incredibly crusty from the salt water. It was so gross, but yet hysterical. Had I planned this day, I would not have planned the splash zone. Being spontaneous in this one little attraction made our trip. Taking the time to stop and enjoy the little things is what makes a lifetime of memories. When my kids talk about our little getaway, this is what they remember. It isn’t the big & expensive souvenirs. It isn’t the lavish hotel or the trip you spent a year obsessing over. It’s the little moments of unplanned gut laughing fun that make a difference & those moments make me smile for no reason at all in the middle of the day.
I try to find fun in every day. My kids are always wondering if the trip to the dentist is actually a dentist appointment or are we off to another adventure. They never know what to expect & in that, we always find a way to laugh whether it is a weekend getaway or a boring doctor appointment. I encourage you to stop planning & find a way to change the direction of your day. Find your own splash zone & do not be afraid to sit in the front row! I promise you, your life will be rich with laughter & full of amazing memories you can look back and smile for no reason in the middle of your boring work week.
Deebles
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