Some of us are planners, and some aren’t.
C’est la vie. To each his own.
Personally, I’m a planner. Actually, an over-planner. As in, I should probably look for a 12-step program.
Take this week, for example. I’m preparing for a massive road trip.
14 days, 3,000 miles, seven hotels, 11 states, two national parks, somewhere on the order of 100 gallons of gas. BIG trip.
As you can guess, I’ve been planning for a while. I probably spent 40+ hours mapping out our route and selecting hotels. I mean, there’s a lot to consider. There are over 60 national parks in this country, and a disproportionate number of them are on the west coast, which I feel is totally unfair and poor planning on the part of mother nature. I mean, give the east coast a little love, would ya??
And then there’s cities to consider. I’ve had people tell me that you HAVE to visit Chicago. There’s nothing like it! Oh, and don’t miss Denver. There’s nothing like it! And hey, you’ve got to visit Salt Lake City. After all, there’s nothing like it!
And I know all those people are right! I simply must visit all the places, which greatly complicates planning for a big road trip like this one. I have to pat myself on the back for using admirable restraint, and planning a more-or-less straight(ish) shot across the country, with only a few stops along the way. I’ll suffer from debilitating FOMO, I’m sure, as I sail along past all of those highway signs informing me of what I’m missing at each exit. I’ll console myself by keeping a running log of all of the places I’m going to come back to see on the next trip. I anticipate a long list.
This week’s planning tasks include:
What clothing will I take?
Which shoes will I need?
Should I bring the dress I know perfectly well I’ll never wear, just in case?
Do I need both a rain jacket AND an umbrella, or is one of those sufficient?
How many books should I bring?
Will I actually work on my crochet project if I bring it?
Backpack or purse?
What snacks won’t melt if left in a hot car?
Is it worth bringing a cooler, knowing that I’ll have to lug it into every hotel and refill it with ice?
Do I need reservations for the state parks in the era of COVID?
Which items should go in the back of the car? Which should go on the roof?
Should I bring bottled water or buy reusable water bottles with built-in filters?
So yeah, my head’s a busy place right now. My computer too, which is practically overflowing with checklists.
Here’s the funny part of all of this. My son is making this trip with me. In fact, he’s the reason for it. The kid is flying the coop, moving all the way across the country. So he’s got to pack up everything he owns, knowing that he’s not likely to be back on this coast for months. You know how much planning he’s doing this week?
NONE.
That’s right. That particular apple couldn’t have fallen much farther from this tree.
Not only is he not planning, he’s visiting friends every day this week, which means he won’t have any time to start packing until about 18 hours before we’re scheduled to leave. And you know what? He’s FINE with this.
How?? Just… how???
It’s incomprehensible to me, the grand poobah of planning, that someone can be on the verge of a huge life event, and not be planning, at least a little. But no, the kid is totally zen about the whole thing, drifting along through his final days on the right coast, relaxed and happy.
You think I’m envious of his relaxed mental state? Nope. That’s not how I roll. For me, the planning is an extension of the trip. This trip may physically take 14 days, but mentally it’s a months-long event for me. The virtual exploring is almost as much fun as the real thing. All of this planning is a manifestation of my excitement. I love exploring, my wanderlust is irrepressible. And all of this planning is my way of getting a head-start on it.
You do you, and I’ll plan an in-depth guidebook plus a quick-reference guide for how I’ll do me!
Peace and love, my friends!
Kimba
© Kimberlee Martin, 2021. All rights reserved.
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