My dear darling sister in law Emmy called me yesterday and said,
“So, I was thinking we could get together sometime soon, what do you think?
I answered, “Well, maybe Friday or next week would work…”
She went on…”You see, I am planning on being more spontaneous!”
I couldn’t help but laugh and said,
“So let me get this right, you are PLANNING on being more SPONTANEOUS?”
“Well Yes!”
and we both laughed because it was rather funny, but is possible you needed to be there to get the full effect. I knew at this point that I needed to let her into my little world. The Janae kind of world where everything is spontaneous, so I said…
“Let me teach you how to be spontaneous…, you say, JANAE what are you doing right now? and I say not much just laundry, and then you say …Well can I come visit you right now? and I say YES”
“Are you SERIOUS?”
“Why yes!”
She chuckled have nervous and half with anticipation and tried it out.
“Janae, what are you doing right now, and can I come down?”
“SURE!!”
So she jumped in her car with all three little kiddos and drove to my house! When she walked in, she sat down and explained that her stomach hurt because she was thinking of all the thing she didn’t plan like a change of clothes for the kids and what to make for dinner.
It was at that point that I realized that her kind of planning would make me feel just as uncomfortable as her choice to drop everything and run. We decided together that a combination of the two styles would be just about right. After all, she came from a family that has vacations down to the time, planned a year in advance and my family will come home from a long day at work and say
“Let’s go water skiing…!”
and we just do.
I believe that after a long day of not knowing what was coming next, we were both happy to have spent it together.
We jumped on the tramp in the pouring rain, ate Popsicles, relaxed on the couch…
I told the story of the three bears, shmonae style to try and get them to lay down for a minute, but they weren’t having it. Eventually Jon called and talked us into going to Chucky Cheese with our kids, Emmy and her kids, and Heather’s kids who I was watching that night. That totals 10 at the time, what an adventure!
and my little Samantha would stop running the entire 2 hours. She is a busy body and kept me on my tired toes, but I loved chasing her around. She was so stinkin’ cute trying to sneak other little kids balloons and basketballs.
And Ella made the party even more grand by face painting to her hearts content! I think she used almost all the paint because it was so thick we could barely get it off.
So my lovely Emmy, this is how to be spontaneous, maybe next week you can teach me how to be planned.