A Plus Attitudes

I recently traveled to Europe with hubby. We did a river cruise along the Rhine. I was surprised at how low stress our trip was in spite of us being in foreign countries. Perhaps it was because we had a planned itinerary for each day. We were chauffeured by a coach bus to and from our daily destinations and we navigated each city with a tour guide. So, there was little effort on our part to figure out the logistics of our day. For some, that might sound boring and too structured, but so often our lives are hectic and busy that what seems to be missing is some order. Of course we still had to make decisions(initial trip planning aside). There were several tour options at each port and we had to decide which one to do. We normally had some free time in each city we visited to go off on our own for a couple of hours, and we chose where to dine.

I got a glimpse of how nice and relaxed life can be when you have order. I used to go through life thinking spontaneity was the preferred way to live because each moment was a surprise and you just went with the flow, but there is something to be said for planning ahead. You can still have spontaneity within your organized life. There will always be moments where you have to make decisions on the fly, but if you are living in a constant state of spontaneity, life can feel chaotic and decision making can become overwhelming.

Perhaps what I’m saying is it’s good to have some structure in life that will still allow for spontaneity. I guess that is what we call “balance”.

Would love to know your thoughts on spontaneity versus order.