For the majority of my life, I’ve felt like Julie, the cruise director from The Love Boat. Always arranging things for other people, planning like a fiend, checking and double-checking calendars and schedules, and making sure everyone gets where they’re supposed to be when they’re supposed to be there.
While there’s certainly something to be said for being organized, there’s also a downside. In the mad dash to keep all the plates spinning, I usually end up stressing myself out. Somewhere along the way, I started believing that if I planned enough, anticipated enough, and managed enough, everything would go smoothly.
Spoiler alert: Life doesn’t work that way.
Lately, I’ve been trying something different. I’m working on "letting go and letting God," as the self-help gurus might say. It’s not easy for someone whose default setting is "control the controllable and then try to control the uncontrollable, too." But I’m discovering that some of life’s best experiences happen when I loosen my grip on the itinerary and leave room for surprises.
Yesterday, my visit with Jess turned out to be a perfect example.
The only thing I had planned was to drive up to Long Beach and spend some time with him while he was in town attending an AR/VR convention. I figured we'd grab a meal, catch up, and call it a day. What I didn't expect was that he'd be able to score me a guest pass and bring me along for the ride.
Suddenly, I found myself stepping into a world I knew very little about—a fascinating blend of technology, creativity, and imagination. Everywhere I looked, friendly, smart, talented people from around the world were exploring new ways to create immersive experiences and push the boundaries of what’s possible. It was exciting, inspiring, and completely unexpected.
Some of the guys were really, really hot too. Eye candy is so dandy!
Had I been focused on sticking to some carefully-constructed schedule, I might have missed the opportunity altogether. Instead, I simply said yes.
The lesson I keep learning lately is that not everything worthwhile can be planned.
Some of life’s best moments show up disguised as last-minute invitations, chance encounters, or unexpected opportunities. They rarely appear on a calendar weeks in advance. They simply present themselves and ask whether you're willing to be flexible enough to follow where they lead.
I’m not suggesting that we throw away our planners, ignore deadlines, or abandon responsibility. Trust me, my color-coded calendar isn’t going anywhere. But maybe there’s a middle ground between complete control and complete chaos.
Maybe we can make our plans while holding them a little more loosely.
Maybe we can leave a little white space in our schedules for serendipity and surprise.
Maybe we can stop assuming that every worthwhile experience has to be orchestrated and trust that sometimes things happen by design rather than by force.
Yesterday reminded me that when I stop trying to direct every scene, I get to enjoy the scenery and the show a whole lot more.
Keep calm and get your flow on!
Clint 🌈✌️
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FROM THE ARCHIVES
BORN THIS WAY ON THIS DAY
06-16 = Henry Paget (1875-1905) = British nobleman and eccentric 🌈
06-16 = Jaime Manrique (1949- ) = Colombian-American writer and educator 🌈
06-16 = Jenny Shimizu (1967- ) = American model and actor 🌈
06-16 = Joe McElderry (1991- ) = British singer and model 🌈
06-16 = Lou Sullivan (1951-1991) = American author and activist 🌈
MAN CRUSHES OF THE DAY
“I think there are some people who are just kind of born to create drama and then capitalise on it.”
Eddie Cibrian
“It’s the game of life. Do I win or do I lose? One day they’re gonna shut the game down. I gotta have as much fun and go around the board as many times as I can before it’s my turn to leave.”
Tupac Shakur