Spontaneous

Today was a great day! I must say that I'm surprised a little by this but there is good reason for it. I expected today to be nice, don't get me wrong, as I knew I'd be doing things with friends and just getting out of the house. However I got much more than I had expected.

I had planned to go and meet with a usual group of friends for brunch. The highlight of this outing was that it was at a different venue. In fact it was more of a social mixer for a commerce group. This seemed like a good thing since I'm always looking for new ways to meet people and there was a part of me that considered I might meet some new people there. After arriving and being branded with a name tag I began to feel a little out of place. There was a large group of us attending that didn't represent any commerce group and I wondered how we were being viewed. I didn't know the commerce group so I just tried to blend in and enjoy the brunch and wine tasting for what it was. However, I was pleasantly surprised when it was announced that the event was being co sponsored by a local social group along with the chamber of commerce. When I realized that this group had no interest other than being social I relaxed at once and started chatting with others around the room.

As the morning pressed on to the early afternoon I was told more about the social group and given information about joining. Such an unexpected turn of events and I was meeting several friendly people. I felt energized being around the new people and connecting with them. My friends whom I had initially joined for brunch had long since left, apparently content with knowing each other and not meeting anyone new. I was still enjoying the experience and making potential friends. I was offered an invitation to stop by one of the members house for an afternoon poker game he was hosting with the rest of the group. This almost seemed surreal to me and I had all sorts of "reasons" to not go. I didn't even know these people more than an hour. However, I decided to ride the wave of spontaneity and ended up having a fantastic day with people that I had never met before. I'm not sure what was better, the fun connection with new people or the crazy circumstances that led me to that point.

Reflecting on my day, I loved that all of the events, except the initial one, were spontaneous. They came out of me just taking what life handed me and going with it. I know that there were moments when I felt a little off kilter as I was in unfamiliar territory. However, there was an excitement to just going with the flow and not worrying about it. It felt like a gift. Perhaps again it was living in the moment and thinking about the shoulds or should nots that allowed me to enjoy the day. I know that there are many that would have thought it crazy to go and hang out with a group of strangers at a house shortly after meeting them. I too had those doubts flash in my head. But the reality was that I would not be doing it because I was afraid for irrational reasons. Doubts. So I jumped into life instead.

I loved meeting new people. I loved being able to just be. Again life is trying to teach me to live in the moment. Why is it so tough to stay there? Why is it so easy to forget the joys that are found in life by actually living rather than thinking.

Is it an oxymoron to try and plan to do something spontaneous each day?