Best Laid Plans...

I'm not much of a planner. And, if I happen to make plans, I will wait until the very last possible moment to commit. I will drag my feet when planning a vacation, a party, a get-together with a friend or an activity with my children until I teeter on the edge of the commitment ledge. I suppose this is what you would call procrastinating, and yes, I do procrastinate. I jokingly call myself  Last Minute Lucy. Now, why would I do such a thing?! Why would I risk missing a good deal on a well planned vacation? Why would I stress myself out by planning a party a day or two before the event? Why do I often tell my kids "we'll see" when they ask to do something? Because, in my experience, best laid plans can often fall short of their target.

For example, let's take my sister-in-law's (Kat) visit last week. My son was graduating from high school so my mother-in-law, brother-in-law, Kat and two (adorable) nephews came to visit. Before Kat came, we discussed getting away to work on our blog, take some pictures and make future plans while sipping coffee uninterrupted. But...we never got a chance to steal away and carry out what we had planned. We had over a week to do this and yet, never had a chance to find an hour or two to get away and work. The night before they left, we stood around the kitchen island, too much beer in our system to make much sense, and wrote our "plans" on a scrap piece of paper. Not only could I not decipher what I wrote, but I also woke up with a nice hang-over and a sense of keen disappointment over not completing the one thing we planned on doing. Best laid plans...

Here's what the week looked like:

So, to starve off disappointment, I try not to plan. By not planning, I don't set up expectations that will most likely be dashed. I don't consider myself a negative person, however I do consider myself a realist. And, when you have kids, you have to be able to roll with the punches, expect the unexpected and be prepared to cancel plans because your family needs you - that is life. I prefer to be unencumbered by a gazillion planned commitments because sometimes life is just better when you allow it to be organic, to let it be without force. Some of my best memories are from when things didn't go exactly as planned.

I'm not saying that planning ahead should be ditched, I just think sometimes, being spontaneous allows for less disappointment and more unexpected fun. If we let our guard down a little, give up the crazy, over-scheduled life every once in a while, we will find a sense of freedom we need but rarely experience as responsible, committed adults.

And, if you must plan just remember: