Where are you going?
Where are you staying?
What are you going to do?

These are the questions my friends have been asking me as my departure date approaches.

​My answer? I don't know. All I know is that I am going on a grand adventure!

 
I can sense how my trip is producing some anxiety -- both inside myself and in others. What I find so fascinating is the relationship between planning and adventure and how they have this inverse relation: more planning means less adventure; less planning means more adventure!! More planning means less anxiety; less planning means more anxiety... or, shall I call it excitement instead?

In some ways I am not surprised. Planning is the warp and weft of my life. It has helped me produce the results I want. It has helped me manage my resources and time. It has helped me hold to my commitments. And perhaps most importantly, it gives me a sense of control, no matter how illusory that is.

BUT, how many of us live a life that we could describe as "adventurous"? Not many, right? And don't many of us actually have a thirst for exploration, for new experiences, maybe a few thrills or, dare we ask, for some so-called peak experiences?

Well, guess what? You can't have a grand adventure if you plan the shit out of it! Planning works mostly inside the known. Adventure happens in the unknown. The more the unknown is present, the grander the possibilities.

Now, don't get me wrong --  this isn't easy for me. I love certainty and success. But I want to stop playing it so safe. And I want to work on trusting myself and trusting the flow of the Everything, of life seen and unseen. 
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So, what to do I (dare I say) plan to have more adventure? Prepare instead of plan... get the car serviced... get the next night's accommodation... pack light... have few expectations... get a good night's rest... and keep your eyes peeled, the unknown is full of adventure. The unknown is adventure!!