“Our Plan Is Ruined!”
Early yesterday morning, we made the 40-minute drive from Titusville to New Smyrna Beach as part of a weeks-in-the-making PLAN to take our 2-year-old granddaughter, Macie Paige to “The Beach” for the very first time. As “fate” would have it, however, though the weather forecast (monitored carefully for days and checked only minutes before we walked out the door) called for “morning sunshine followed by afternoon showers,” it rained the entire time we were there – 9:00 am to 10:30 am.
The adults (save for yours truly!) were mostly and quite understandably “miserable” given that the weather had “ruined OUR PLAN.” The thing is, Macie had the time of her life! She laughed, played, and splashed in the “little waves,” celebrated the raindrops like they were gumdrops, sang “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” about a hundred times (all while watching her tiny plastic sailboat repeatedly “take on water” and sink!), and ran up and down the wet sand like she was auditioning for “Chariots of Fire.”
In an attempt to “salvage” the day, the adults then turned the lunch WE HAD PLANNED at a local dockside restaurant into brunch, where Macie promptly befriended: a waitress who, attentively recognizing her love of fruit, “opened” a veritable blueberry and strawberry all-you-eat buffet; a little girl at the table next door whose bright pink, Frozen-themed sandals identified her as a kindred spirit; and “Fisherman Phil,” who, as if on cue, caught a cute little catfish off the side of the dock – the first fish out-of-water Macie had ever seen.
As we headed for home, I couldn’t help but reflect on how different Macie’s perspective and experience of the day had been from the adults – and how many beautifully wrapped gifts would’ve been left unopened under the Christmas Tree of Life had mom, dad, Papa Don, and Nana known the actual weather forecast and never left their respective houses. It was then that I realized that it was the difference between our very adult desire/need/obsession to try to MANAGE life and Macie’s zest for ACTUALLY LIVING IT!
You see, Macie had and has only one PLAN – and it NEVER changes. She LOVES life – ferociously and unconditionally – and she insists on siphoning every last drop of it out of EVERY day – rain or shine. No exceptions. She simply refuses to be denied or knocked off her stride by the vagaries of something as trivial and unavoidable as the weather. Make no mistake. Once upon a time, you and I lived and loved the same way – joyfully, spontaneously, playfully, and unapologetically.
It’s just that somewhere along the way we lost sight of what that way of living looks and feels like. Yesterday, I got a refresher course taught by a 2-year-old. And I’m here to tell you, it’s pretty amazing!
