Most of us spend our lives on a schedule. Every day in our own way, we try to make each minute of the day count. In order to use the time wisely, we account for it by scheduling or timetabling our lives; by squeezing in as many activities as possible. So from eating and sleeping to work or rest; every single activity is logged into a time slot whether physically (on a calendar, planner, to-do lists) or mentally. In other words, our lives are lived by the clock and determined by our schedule. Therefore, anything that is not listed or carved in these schedules are forbidden or pushed forward to another day. If we are truthful, sometimes we never get back to them. Or worst yet, these things get lost in the archives of our daily lives. For God forbids if somehow we are unable to complete every scheduled activity because somehow throughout the day, we lost track of time. I tell you right now, some people will go berserk as nothing disrupts the schedule.
But life doesn’t offer us a choice as to whether or not we want to take unscheduled stops, it just happens. In fact, the famous musician John Lennon corroborates this by positing this paradoxical truth “Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.” No, this is in no way saying that plans are bad or that one should not make plans. It’s only emphasizing certain universal truths, such as the true experiences and value in being alive exists beyond our plans and that we almost, always cannot out plan life. Sometimes we forget that life “happens” to us and miss out on opportunities that would have made our lives better, new friends and better people (depending on how you receive the unscheduled trips). If we are willing to learn, unscheduled stops can bring out the best life lessons. In fact, when the lessons learned are applied appropriately; we will realize that these are the lessons that we are in need of most. However, as humans we only often learn our lessons in hindsight and so we do not get to enjoy the unscheduled stops when we are standing in the middle of them.
I was once among the masses who hated and despised any disruptions to my schedule. I always plan a straight route to get to where I needed to go or come up with straight directions to complete a particular activity. Back then, if my schedule was disrupted I felt like my time was wasted; even if it was stopping to help someone else. To me, there was nothing more annoying than having a plan to complete or a goal to accomplish, and then someone or something comes along hijacking or hacking into my time with their own demands. Or worst yet, causing me to deter completely from my original goal. That was one of my biggest pet peeve. I lived so much by the clock and planners that I became a very anxious person walking around with my head down. And throughout the years, I forgot to look around.
But in one day, all that changed. I was going through a rough patch and was living in a foreign country. With no friends or family, the rough patch seemed endless. I remember getting in a taxi one morning to get to the supermarket and before I even got close to the destination; I heard myself telling the driver to stop. The driver was stunned and tried explaining that I was nowhere close to my requested stop. I assured him that I was fine. I didn’t know where I was, where I was going or even how to get home. I also didn’t speak the language and before then had only survived by using gestures. However, I paid him (the driver) and just started walking. I took the turns that the voice told me to take and when I finally stopped I found myself at the entrance of the park.
I entered the park (because why not?) and suddenly the place was filled with the most calming music. I looked across the pond and there were a set of people practicing their instruments. To my left and right, there were birds singing in the trees and before me the gardens and trees were green and in full blossom. The voice again bided me to sit and so I sat on the bench a couple steps away. There God himself spoke to me. He said “Everything around you is beautiful; you just have to believe”. I cried. Until that day, I had lived my life by the clock and planner and never realized that I was missing so much of life. That life was happening around me and that my planner created a bubble that left no room to experience the life and joys that exist outside of it. The thought of all the things that I had missed made me sad and again I cried. I spent hours sitting in that particular spot. Just watching life unfold in nature and the people who come and go. When I finally got up to leave, I realized that where the twists and turns of earlier had led me, was back to my apartment. I had lived in that area for a while and never realized that there was a park behind my apartment.
Since I have come to the understanding of how important unscheduled stops are to the complete development of life; I enjoy them. I make opportunities to take unscheduled stops. No, this doesn’t mean that I have stopped making plans. It just simply means that my plans are not so rigid and set in stone. There is now more room for unscheduled stops. In fact, my unscheduled stops have taken me to beaches, over mountain ranges, hidden parks and rivers, wide open spaces, forests and into the wild. With each unscheduled stop, I enjoy the views and sights. I take in the smells, and the people who come and go. I admire nature and I contemplate the fragility of life. Moreover, I try to determine the purpose of each unscheduled stop and the lesson to learn. And when it’s time to move, I not only leave with a rejuvenated mind and soul or a full heart but also a few new friends.
As you enjoy these pictures from my many unscheduled stops, where has your stops taken you? What have you learned about yourself, life or nature?
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