Screw the Schedule: On Embracing the Unknown

Photography by Paolo Raeli

We are in the midst of summer, fully accustomed to the sticky heat, our hearts lost in long, lazy afternoons. Now, I am a dreamer when it comes to adventures. Maybe it's my love for contemporary novels, but I spent hours this school year thinking about all the potential this break holds. I went into summer with no plan, polar to my usual over-organizing tendencies. I wanted to embrace whatever was thrown my way with open arms, without the confinements of breaking schedule. All of my peers had some sort of concrete plan: volunteering, working, etc. I was the only one who had nothing.

After my two week road trip, I spent a week and a half cooped up in my room doing absolutely nothing: lounging around on my bed, wasting my hours on the internet, and staring at the ceiling in boredom. I even called one of my friends late at night, worried that I would misuse my entire summer. I thought that I had made a grave mistake by not planning my summer like I usually do.

My disappointment changed within just a few days. All of a sudden, I had an internship that I was genuinely passionate about; I was dancing the night away at a BØRNS concert; I was walking along the beach at midnight with one of my close friends; I was catching up with someone and realizing that she was different, in the most worldly and beautiful way; I was proven wrong. 

My summer did not need more planning - it needed more saying yes.

When you see these unforeseen opportunities, you have to grab them, you have to shake them by the shoulders and scream, "Yes, I am taking you, and I am never letting go."A certain level of planning is needed for stability, but sometimes you need to accept the chaos. Looking back on my summer, I have realized just how magical these months have been. From stripping naked on a mountain to making out with a stranger to exploring (trespassing) Sunken City, I am living fully. Instead of wondering whether adventures will come, I'm texting all of my friends begging them to go to a fashion show with me that is three hours away. I'm attending salsa festivals. I'm running 5k's and learning how to surf and shooting a gun for the first time. I'm creating the adventures,

Take your calendar, with your carefully planned routine, and throw it away. To hell with schedules, this time is yours.