If you are on my Facebook fan page or Instagram, you may have seen the recent wedding photos I posted on the day Jeff and I celebrated our first anniversary. The night before, when Jeff came home from flying, he casually asked me, “What’s your favorite restaurant in the whole country?” That was easy. There’s a restaurant I love that’s only located in pretty places. When I was a kid growing up in Colorado, my parents would go to the one in Golden. When I lived in DC, I’d go to the one on the Potomac in Alexandria. And when I lived in Annapolis, I could walk to the restaurant right on the Chesapeake Bay from my house. But my favorite one of all was in Monterey, California, where I lived during my sophomore year of college. I thought we were just having casual conversation, but my hubby was on a mission. “Well, alright,” he said next. “That’s where I’m taking you for our anniversary dinner tomorrow!”
My eyes stretched wide. “Really?” I asked rhetorically and happily. “I would love that.” I haven’t been to Monterey since 1993, but sure enough, we hopped on a plane the next morning – landing two standby seats to San Francisco, and spent the next day and a half in California. We had dinner on the famous Cannery Row overlooking Monterey Bay, cruised down the spectacular 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, and browsed through the shops in quaint Carmel. And despite the 50-something degree weather, we even took off our shoes, admired the plentiful sea anemones and mussels along the rocky shore, and played on the beach.
I feel led to challenge you this week to be spontaneous. Happiness is something we create and live every single day. It is a choice. You’ve got to “own your happy.” It doesn’t get handed to you. It isn’t something you go find. It is already here, right now, waiting for you to act. And sometimes, taking action means shaking things up. Maybe it’s not a trip across the country, but something new or fun in your everyday routine. That thing you’ve been talking about doing? That person you’ve been talking about calling and hanging out with? The get-together you said you were going to throw last year? DO it.
I have declared this year that there are a few things I’ve been talking about doing, dreaming about doing, for an awfully long time – both professionally and personally. And now is the time. My husband is a commercial airline captain and we have said for the last year we need to put our flight privileges to better use. Well, this last-minute adventure to magnificent Monterey was a fun start. My birthday was last week, so I we let another adventure unfold. Sometimes action comes when you get sick of talking about you what you are going to do that you finally just up and do it – spontaneously. So … write the book. Embrace that new opportunity. Throw the party. Take the class. No explanation needed. No more contemplation – you’ve done enough of that. Just GO!
My challenge to you this week:
LIVE fully. Be spontaneous.
Journaling assignment:
What would it look like to shake things up THIS WEEK? Will you do it/ When? I’d love to hear about it. Post and share your spontaneity this week below!
