...for the Planner

It was quite the heated debate.

I shared my thoughts and the rebuttal happened almost immediately.

Words were said.

Words that could never be taken back, and at the end of the day there was still no right answer.

The debate over day planners vs. white boards is one that may never be settled.

As a faithful planner owner I can confidently say that I go nowhere without it. In my room, in my car, in my backpack or next to my purse, my planner acts as a third arm in any appropriate situation (which, in reality, is every situation)

But aside from the witty banter and comical uses regarding my planner, I realize that I do put so much trust into this tiny material item. I rely on this stack of papers held together by a piece of curled plastic to tell me everything I need to know. My scheduled meetings and appointments, work times and preplanned hangouts and find that when I leave the house without it, my day seems unorganized and unproductive.

Living my life out of a planner not only ensures the feeling of dependency but it denies any time for spontaneity and adventure.

For those planners out there, how many times have you realized that the fun you have and the growth you go through is not jotted down on lines on a page or scheduled for you to look forward to?

There are so many times in my life where I tell myself I have to plan for things. And please realize that there are times that planning simply makes sense.

Scheduling a doctor's appointment: Makes sense

Studying for a test: Makes sense

Writing down work schedules: Makes sense (I'd hope)

But there are times in my life where I realize a lack of schedule and the absence of my to-do list was just what I needed.

The days I woke up early and threw a towel and my wallet in my backpack and headed toward the beach.

The times I went on long drives with friends and stopped when we decided the destination was cool enough.

The moments of silence, away from home, where I sat and journaled and allowed God to just sit with me.

These are the times were planning ahead wouldn't have made any sense at all.

For the planners out there, how many times do you wish you could just cut off that third arm?

Something I am always trying to remember is no matter what, the day will happen and the next day will appear just the same. Whether I cross off five things on my list or barely get to one, there will always be another day to get things done.

There will always be another day.

How many days do you want planned out for yourself?

Whether your life is scheduled on a white board or filling the pages of a day planner, find the time to set those aside and step outside the house with an open mind, a blank page, and the opportunity to let yourself grow amidst the unscheduled days.

...for the Summertime Spontaneous

There are a number of things in my life that I deeply enjoy.
I enjoy waking up at 5:30 in the morning to surf with my best friend.
I enjoy singing in my car and pretending I am in a music video.
And I enjoy more than most anything in the world, reading.
Give me a book and I will sit and read for hours (as long as my schedule allows) and I will come back to tell you that no matter what it is I have just read, there is a story to be told.


I look at this element of my life and how intentional I am to seek out the stories these authors are trying to tell and realize that the story I am currently writing doesn't always do the same. As the author of my own life, where am I being intentional in making sure there is always something worth sharing? Worth taking from? Worth living for?


If I am not fully living my life, then what am I doing with it?
More often than not I allow myself to settle for complacency and put off adventure for the fear of risking too much. And to this I realize that by sitting back and letting others write best-selling novels I am risking far more than a chapter or two spent in the hospital recovering from a trek through the Alps or a morning hike gone awry, I am risking the opportunities to build relationships and thrive in new communities. 


As a college student who was blessed to have met lifelong friends and take spontaneous adventures this summer, I am learning day by day to be intentional in my actions and inquisitive in my conversations. For me, these steps are leaps toward a better story. I think at times I run off to the towns these books are based in and tell myself I can be them. I can do those things and take these trips and see other sites but when I imagine all of that happening, the go-getter in me forgets to create a partner in crime or a group of friends to do so with.


As the college student who has had a summer filled with dancing and star gazing, homemade dinners and outdoor concerts, I am that same college student who focuses too much on what it is that needs to be done and not enough on who it should be done with. Because looking back on the summer I have had so far, it wasn't so much what we were doing, but who we were doing it with. It was the nights spent talking and the days laced with challenging questions and new insights that made me reflect on how memorable this summer has been for me.


I fear leaving this season and falling back into the same routine of thinking ahead and always worrying about tomorrow. As college students who have enough on our plate to worry about, I challenge you all to a new adventure, not another line on your already-full to-do lists. 


In the time we have left before we have to pack up our rooms and head back to the familiarity of class schedules and dormmates, I want to send you on an adventure right where you are. Seek out the relationships around you and rewrite the chapters in your textbooks and turn them into novels. 
Be spontaneous.
Be adventurous.
Be intentional.

Let go of the fears of looking back on a life that could have been lived and start embracing the opportunities to create memories and community all around you.