Sometimes I realize I am seeking a long term vision in a very short term focused world.  While my heart longs to see what life will look like in five years, my life dictates that first, I need to figure out what’s for dinner. It’s sort of like a little daily yen/yang thing in the world. The balance we all walk between living in the moment and dreaming of the future.  It’s the balance…

In life, there are two kinds of people:  those who plan for things and those who just let them happen.  While my profession has often pushed me into the planning group, my personal life has always had a spontaneous spark about it.  Often, I am leaving the neighborhood going to dinner and have no idea which handful of favorite restaurants I’ll end up at.  Sometimes snap weekend getaways would happen at 5pm on Friday as I packed up my desk and headed for the door…let’s go to Vegas, to the beach, to Disneyland, or to Disney World!  Spontaneous and quick planning…really without the planning.  I just decide to do it and then, do it.  But I have always admired those who can mark the calendar and focus on the date.  I had a boss who planned a trip to Hawaii every year and within that year, months and months would pass with her talking about how much she was looking forward to the trip, how her kids were excited and how many things they were going to do.  For months, she would cross off each day…like a countdown to Christmas and in many ways, that is what I would see and hear from her…that excitement and anticipation of something amazing that you look forward to all year.  That one day.  Except she was having them all the time…because she was planning. 

While my life has often been focused in the moment…the feelings, the emotions, the smells, the senses…I realize the value of also looking forward and out into the future.  Where do I see myself…in 5 weeks,in 5 months and in 5 years?  What trips will I plan?  What books will I read? What stories will I write?  While I stay firmly grounded in my own space, I realize that my reach goes further out into the world that I realize and that by reaching, I’m gaining more than a balanced life.  I’m gaining a happiness that only comes from knowing where you are and knowing where you are going.  So while I will always have that spontaneous spark that I think is so important to my life, I’m seeing the passion for planning.  It’s all about the journey…and I’m excited…like Christmas is coming!