You're Invited to a Surprise Party!
A call for naivete, irresponsibility, and everyday travel.
Hi there, how are you doing? I didn’t publish yesterday (Wednesday) because it was the day after the US elections and I couldn’t think about much else. I gave my energy to experiencing all my emotions, taking care of myself, and being present in my community. I also reached for words, my favorite art form, and poured my heart into this piece, which you might have read, “An Open Letter To My Christian Friends Who Support Trump.”
May today’s Welcome Wanderer be some company along the winding path we all find ourselves on… glad you’re here!
In September I started back to school for my creative writing certificate through the UCLA extension program. Finally.
I had been mulling over this decision for a couple of years. My biggest reason for not making it sooner…
I don’t have a plan.
It didn’t feel like a responsible decision to enroll and pay all the registration and course fees simply because I wanted to be a better writer.
Here I go again, I thought, chasing silly dreams without any map of the future or logical steps toward clear goals. Hi, I’m Charissa, I’m addicted to wasting time and money.
My life hasn’t gone according to plan. Sure, I’ve had some agency, exerted a bit of control, and made choices, and still…
I couldn’t have guessed any of this. I’m not where I expected to be, doing what I thought I’d be doing.
Life is one surprise party after another.
Although my days mainly consist of monotonous movements and automatic routines, the years are marked by plot twists, pivots, pandemics, and painful experiences. Despite our effort to keep everything in working order, we’re constantly sidetracked and derailed.
But could these unexpected detours and disruptions be necessary to create a fulfilling, exciting, and joyous life? Could we let them take us this way and that way, remain pliable instead of overly purposeful?
Guy Raz has a popular podcast called How I Built This. He interviews entrepreneurs about the story behind their company. At the end of every conversation, he asks them, “So…do you assign your success to your hard work or luck?”
Interviewees are caught off guard by the question, but most of them suddenly realize- it was luck! They’ll admit it took sleepless nights, brave experimentation, and risky steps, but ultimately luck led to their success. So much of the timing, the connections, and the money wasn’t a result of their specific actions.
They had an idea, an interesting thought, a nudge, or burning desire, and then like a Golden Retriever sniffing back and forth for her bone, they let the joy of the hunt take over.
Only later, much later, did any plans and next steps formulate from the fog.
Where in your life are wondering if it’s time to forsake the plan (for now) and follow the flow of your passions? I know, I know, we’ve heard it all before and frankly, it sounds careless, even privileged.
But could you fight for na·ive·té in your life and push aside your adult sophistication, hard-fought wisdom, and years of experience?
Imagine if you allowed yourself to drift a little, like a leaf in a current, carried by something gentler, more mysterious than a plan. What if, instead of forcing form, you trusted in the pulse beneath the surface, the rhythm of your unfolding.
Plans can only take us so far; maybe the most responsible way to live is to give our heart room to breathe, to move in its own wild way before reason can set its limits.
Okay, now onto this week's prompt to keep us fascinated with our in-the-flesh life and all the magic waiting to be found there.
Be curious about… Your secret wishes.
What’s pushing on your heart? What inside you is asking for air to breathe?
Could you crack open the door, let your secret wishes out to play, roam, and run? Of course you can!
All you have to do is adopt a bit of naiveté and step into the surprise party life is throwing you today! You’re presence is requested…bring your creative spirit, the carefree, childlike part of you wanting to climb trees, build forts, or doodle with paint.
What does it look like for you to be irresponsible in your day to day life and entertain some of those secret wishes?
I’ve been perusing The Vagabond’s Way: 366 Meditations on Wanderlust, Discovery, and the Art of Travel. Rolf Potts, author and adventurer, knows how to call forth your fullest self.
In the few minutes it takes to read a meditation you will feel your heart expand and your day will open up like a story book. Instead of ho-hum motions, you’ll be energized to move through your usual places and familiar routines like an excited traveler, ready to discover hidden gems and picturesque viewpoints.
Potts writes,
“Travel is not a swaggering declaration of self, undertaken to impress other people; it is a quiet inquiry, requiring awareness, resilience, and openness to change. Travel is… a nuanced art, expressed through joyous, ragged-edged, mindful practice. Travel is not a consumer product you buy into; it is something that you gift to yourself.”
Thank you for reading! Be kind out there friends and remember nobody really knows what they’re doing! We’re all figuring it out as we go…
What a pleasure to wander with you,
