Our society revolves around planning. Planning to go to the grocery store. Planning to go to the mall. Planning to go anywhere. What’s next, planning when to breath in and out? We never stop for a second to admire the beauty all around us or do things that we really want to do. It’s not the end of the world to stop planning for one day and go on a trip to a new or exciting place. You could go a mile down the road or hours away going wherever the road may take you. Life is a highway, so why not ride it all night long?
I’ve had so many Decision-Free Days in my life so far. From monster truck shows to Washington DC, I’ve been to hundreds of cool and indescribable places, too many to name. Below I will describe one of my DFD’s and hopefully inspire you to take a break from all the stress and pain of life and go on your own Decision-Free Day adventure.
Right before I sat down to write this blog entry, I had returned from a 6-hour Decision-Free Day with my nurse with a story that you would think belongs in a week trip. The night before I had called my aide from high school and asked him if he would be home the next morning. He texted me back and said that he would. So the next morning I left all technology and stress behind at 8:30 in the morning and took a half hour ride to his house with my nurse. He showed me his house, his pool, and his cat and two dogs. The three of us sat by the pool and ate potato chips with sour cream and drank some soda. But more importantly, we sat back and talked about our lives and reminisced on the good times we had in high school together. He could have not been happier to see me and we spent about an hour playing War with playing cards next to his pool. Then the three of us went on a walk around his community and he told me everything about his neighbors and how the houses had changed over the years. My nurse and I were going to leave right after our walk was done, but then I had an idea that literally just popped into my head. But unlike I, and probably many of you, usually do, I listened to that idea and went with it.
That took us to the diner about a mile down the road where I had fish and chips, my friend had a grilled cheese with tomato, and my nurse had a chicken sandwich. We continued to reminisce and talk about life during our lunch and had a great day. But yet again, the trip did not end there like it normally would have with all the woes of life. My nurse and I followed my friend and continued another mile or two down the road to a rustic Main Street in an old-fashioned town. The bridge that we crossed overlooked a waterfall and two water wheels churning the water. My nurse and I found a parking spot on the street and took a stroll down the sidewalk looking at the shops that we passed. My friend told me about how all the shops and restaurants had changed and about what used to be there. After walking up and down the street two times we all decided to stop and get some ice cream. I got a flavor called Lobster Tracks with chocolate and red candies and we sat on a bench and yet again talked about life.
This trip made me wonder why everyone spends their days whining that there is nothing to do when there is really a world of excitement waiting for them outside their small, secluded world. It also made me see how fast the world around us can change and how we should take in everything before it disappears from view. Look at how simple everything I did was; it was not like I had decided to go skydiving or anything like that. I had only let my mind and the road take control of my day and turned just a simple visit into an extraordinary and memorable journey.
So take a few hours out of your day, call up that friend you have not seen in years, and go wherever the road may take you. Follow through with any idea that may go through your head and that idea will take you to many other places you never thought you would go. Put your stressed mind and life to the side for a bit and see what the world can truly offer.
