Screw the plans

Being in the present is often harder than it sounds. I often think of my life - the things I've accomplished, the experiences I've relished in and the moments I've cursed - and I'm astounded by how it's the bare-skin, uncomplicated and unforeseen memories that truly made all the difference.

Sounds cliche I know - I promise I'm not trying to convert you into a tie-dyed, bushy-tailed homo sapien. But, let me share a bit. I've been lucky enough to travel to 6 countries in the last 12 months - stuffing my eyes with wonder has been one of the most gratifying experiences of my life and one that has changed me infinitely. However, it's the unplanned and unintentional which have had the deepest impact on my life as it stands.

Lazing at home, letting the warmth of the fire place heat up my sensors, while I played Jenga with a beautiful soul and gazed into a glass of fermentation. Riding solo to a supermarket in Nairobi to buy 'love' tea and chatting to a mother-daughter duo who thrilled me with their sense of candor. Clutching my mom in bed when I realised that she only had 3 months to live, and frantically telling her how she was the best mother I could ever have asked for. 

Attempting to swim in the ocean on a recent holiday to Phuket, and realising how I didn't give a damn about the eyeliner trickling down my skin. Asking a waiter for an extra shot of rum, receiving a tot of lime and laughing over the fact that I can't pronounce my R's - yes, the impending speech therapy is an internal joke.

These are the breaths that have left the biggest, beautiful marks on my existence. They've revealed insecurities, forced me to face fears and more importantly, they've showed me how to love. Submerging your soul in present emotions can be both the easiest and the hardest. We're running and diverting; we're frantically trying to experience as much as we can so that we don't miss out. But, in retrospect it's the undesigned that often weave us into the people we are today. 

The point I'm trying to make is that every second offers you an opportunity to grow in some way or the other - it's never prescribed, but it's your perception that makes the biggest difference.