Spontaneity is hard for me.
I am a planner, a list-maker, a box-checker. Most of my days are coordinated down to the minute.
Trust me... I am planning to un-plan my life real soon. |Ugh. There I go again|
But, on a serious note, I am taking baby steps to loosen my grip on life - to let go & let life. One of my most recent experiences with spontaneity came two weekends ago when I took Brady on a belated 1 Year Anniversary getaway! We went on a daycation to Glenwood Springs but the kicker? I planned it all, presented it as an adventure, and Brady had no idea where we were headed.
The weekend started with a love-themed ransom note |is there such a thing?| that gave clues as to where we were headed.
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| Possibly the creepiest love note ever, yes? |
Is it weird that the ransom note was by far the most time-consuming craft I have ever done? |You're not gonna find that on Pinterest|.
My "kidnapping" victim and I piled into my car, our sights set on excitement and adrenaline. Let the thrill begin!! After a 2 hour traffic jam. Blah. |I guess all the planning in the world can't dictate the most uncontrollable force: Colorado mountain traffic during ski season. Le sigh.|
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Feel the adventure?
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| Our "stuck in ski traffic" selfie |
Let's try this again, shall we? Adventure on. We finally arrive at our destination: Glenwood Springs Adventure Park |
this place has to be adventurous; I mean it has "adventure" in the name|. After our gondola ride ends by dropping us off at the mountain-top park we quickly realize we are the oldest people there besides the adults there with their children. We were totally those awkward adults standing in line to do the zip line with a group of middle school girls in front of us and two little twin brothers behind us. Whoops!
That didn't stop us though |
especially considering the fact that I am convinced my dear, dear husband still has a rambunctious 12-year-old boy pent up in him just looking for an excuse to be let out|. Our day was full of fun, and adventure, and hot chocolate, and zip lines, and exploring caves |
and also a 3-D movie theater experience that literally almost made me barf from motion sickness - but, that is for another blog post|.
What I didn't expect the day to hold, though, was a moment of true clarity:
My favorite moment of the day was when we got to ride the alpine coaster. For those of you who are unfamiliar, the alpine coaster is just that - a roller coaster built into a mountain side. But, the one major difference with the coaster in Glenwood and traditional roller coasters is that you get to control your speed with a braking system.
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| Husby taking on the mountain |
I was a bit nervous so, I made Brady go first. For those of you who know me, it comes as no surprise that when it was my turn to head down the mountain I had the full intention of going as slow as possible. I was going to do my best, to do what I do best: control the situation. I would control that one really powerful thing working against me in that moment: gravity. I had no desire to embrace the situation for what it was worth, to let myself feel freedom and adventure, I wanted to make sure I arrived at my destination safely and in one piece.
But about 45 seconds into my journey down the track, I realized something. I was really bored. I was longing for something more. So, slowly, bit-by-bit I released the break. With each grain of tension removed, the cart moved faster, my heart launched in my chest, and my liberation soared. I felt true freedom, joy and adventure! I was feeling the experience as it was meant to be. And do you know what? After each nerve-wracking, squeal-filled twist and turn, I reached the finish line. But, I didn't just reach it - I flew in! Saturated in excitement and smiles, and in safety |which was what I wanted all along|.
After the ride was over, and after we stopped and looked at those awful mid-ride photos they snap of you and then try to sell to you for the price of a small down payment on a house, I realized something beautiful.
God is just like that alpine coaster.
He promises us a journey that is a fast-paced, wind in your hair, teeth dry from smiling so much, kind of journey. A journey like that, however, is only accomplished if you let go of your own desire to put on the brakes.
How often do we clench tight to our control because we are too afraid to fully let go and trust him to take us down the track of our life?
How often do we think the tighter we grasp the safer we will feel on the journey? When in reality, we weren't designed for "safe". We were created to experience a spontaneous, adventure-induced life with God in the driver's seat.
He never promises that there won't be some scary dips |you know, those kind that make your stomach hit the roof of your mouth?| or some awful pictures taken of you in the middle of it all, but he does promise that you will reach your destination, your finish line, in one miraculous piece. Because He got you there, not your white knuckling along the way.
|What brakes are you pulling on your life that are slowing down your journey? How can you embrace the spontaneity and adventure that life promises for you?|
Hugs & -ish
Jessica
Labels: Faith, Marriage & Love, Relationships
