Friday, August 3, 2012

A lesson in spontaneity

Central Park, Davis CA
Last Friday (wow - already a week ago!) I enjoyed a day that was completely & wholly unplanned. Had been more rare of late, as my time limitation became more evident. It manifested into one of the best days yet.


I woke up unexpectedly early in Davis, California. And decided to stay awake and drive to Lake Tahoe. It's only about two hours away. While the South parts of the lake are traditionally more oriented toward visitors, the North side of the lake was more on my route. I pulled into Tahoe City, and passed a river boat tour service. After quick consideration, I decided to indulge myself. (I have not been treating myself to any expensive things, and I'm about to receive income again!) The guy at the shop told me theirs was rather relaxing and self-guided, to which I told him I wanted something a bit more exciting. So, he directed me up the hill to the whitewater rafting company. As soon as I walked in, I met a nice dog and two nice ladies, and next thing I knew, I was signed up for that afternoon's trip! Well, not actually obliged to go, which helped sustain my plan-less day. It was quite perfect actually. I still had plenty of time to check out the lake.


I parked here and went down for a hike. Somehow didn't see this sign until I returned.
I took a nice drive down the West side of the lake, and even saw a golden brown bear playing on the side of the road. Well, it probably wasn't playing, but their bodies are so large and fluffy, it always suggests a sort of oafishness. Eventually, I pulled onto a smaller road that was mostly residential, but there was one small section between these two houses where you could walk onto the lake.


Once I reached the lake, however, there were signs on either side of me about 13 feet apart, instructing that the areas beyond them were strictly private. Well, at least I had my 13 foot beach all to myself. So, I made a little picnic, and enjoyed the view. It was not as serene as I expected, as there was much activity on the lake. Can't say I wasn't jealous of the boaters however. Eventually, the enduring strength of the private lands warnings sent me on my way.

I really wanted to take this on a ride, but that would have meant trespassing and theft
However, I found another quiet beach. I was very glad this was still possible in this remarkably touristic area. Of all the natural places I've visited, I've much preferred the ones where I can still find places of solitude.


Finally, I made my way back to the river rafting. I hadn't hung out with so many families at any point on this trip. And three of the other families on the trip were from Texas! I was in a boat with some Houstonians. Very interesting folk. Jewelers, they were. And our guide, Chris, told a story of another Houstonian he had a few years back. They were floating down the river and spotted a deer. The older gentleman asked, allegedly in all seriousness, "At what elevation do deer turn into antelope?" I refuse to believe he was serious, but Chris said he never expressed that he was joking. And consequently, didn't exactly know how to answer... Some people are just out of touch I guess. Anyway, we had a nice ride down, enjoyed some good rapids, and I felt like my indulgence was totally worth it.


However, after the ride, we all returned to the office. And I guess I took a minute in the van because when I returned inside to provide a tip to Chris, all the families were gone and the bottle of Maker's Mark had been revealed. "Do you want some?" he asked. And well, that's kind of the end of the story. Before I knew it, I had canceled my plans of driving to Reno that night, and instead had agreed to hang out for the night. There was a local music festival to which we could gain free entry, and the company already seemed exceptionally fun. River tour guides, you know. Real dude-like, pretty hilarious, totally easy going. They also provided a number of other provisions for fun, plus it's a small town, so they all seemed to know each other. I must have met 40 people that night. Really interesting people for sure. Many of them living these seasonal lives. There for the summer, but not for the winter. It was funny too because I didn't actually know anyone, and was just that girl who went on the tour and then kept hanging out. It sounds weird now that I write it down, but it seemed to make sense at the time. It was a memorable night for sure.

Well, I've been gone almost exactly one month. The relative nature of time passing is very interesting. I feel like I've done an exceptional amount of stuff. But I simultaneously feel like the time has flown by. I'm enjoying myself certainly. And now I'm back to work. I will say that living freely was pretty grand. But perhaps having a regimen again will be good. You know, work all day and then truly appreciate the time you have to yourself. It's more valuable I guess. Or, valued.

And that's my lesson in spontaneity. When approached with optimism & enthusiasm, being spontaneous can be a real treat. I encourage you to find an opportunity to do something that was otherwise unplanned and see how it turns out. It can be big or small. Long or short. Meaningful or whimsical. But I guess what I'm really trying to say is: have fun!

Lucchesi Park, Petaluma CA

Love you all.
M