I was always someone who craved a plan. Growing up, my mind was
constantly determining where I was supposed to be in the next few hours, days,
and often even months or years. I did my best to plan ahead because I assumed I
could get the most done in an allotted time. Because of this, my focus was
usually not on what was happening in the moment, but where I was going and
where I should be. Over the past months I have tried my best to break myself of
this habit. Yes, you still have to time manage sometimes, especially when you
are busy, but I have learned that often no plan is the best plan. There is a
real value in "winging it."
This weekend I was able to get out of
Kampala a little and visited Jinja, a smaller town about 60 km west. I went on
Saturday morning with two of my roommates and some of the Marines working at
the embassy. Our only plan was that we were going to go ride ATV's, and one of
my roommates (Ben) and I intended to stay. He and I didn't really know what we were
going to do or where we would stay, and this may have been one of the best
decisions we made all weekend.
After we rode ATVs (which was amazing by
the way) we got dropped off my the Marines on the edge of town. Our driver
pointed us toward Jinja and we just started walking. About 2 km later we found
a restaurant and were able to take out a map and gain our bearings. At that
point, we met up with a girl that knew his cousin who is working in an NGO in
Jinja. Without much thought I realized we were just walking, not knowing where
we would be in 30 minutes, and frankly not caring. Our lack of accord for any
predetermined destination eventually led us to a hotel overlooking the Nile
River. At that moment, sitting in the grass overlooking the start one of the largest
rivers in the world, I was completely present. There was no need to look at my
watch, "the time is now.” There was no need to speak, much more could be
conveyed by silence. It was in this moment I realized that often the best plan
is no plan. The best moments are those that find you, not the ones you actively
seek.
The night continued to be supersede any
plans we could have made. We went back to Ben's cousins NGO, The Street Child
Project, which is a home for street children that have no safe home to return
to. To learn more, check out http://www.thestreetchildproject.org/ . After
joining them for dinner, we felt it was time to move on and one of
volunteers recommended a hostel down the road, so we set off with directions
and 20 minutes later finally arrived at "Explorers Backpackers
Guesthouse." After checking in, we continued out into a few local bars
where we were able to meet many fascinating people from all around the world both
living in, working in, and vacationing in Jinja.
The next morning, we assumed we would just
get a taxi back to Kampala, but we stopped back by the orphanage and one of the
founders told us that she was leaving to go to the airport in Entebee, which would
mean she would go directly by our house. Without thinking, we jumped in the van
and only two hours later, we made it safely home.
I don't think I could have asked for a
better weekend. I could have made an "itinerary," but with that comes
expectations. You start to look at your watch and become more conscious of
where you are going then where you are. Whenever you can, wing it. As long as
you stay open and positive, things will work out, just trust your gut and enjoy
your surroundings. You don't have to be on some grand adventure or half way
across the world to do this, you may well find adventures in your own town or
city. It is up to you what you make of your time and my suggestion is, just be
positive and “go with the flow.”
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