Unplanned Perfection

4 bags of “stuff”, 2 camping chairs, 1 tent and 0 cutlery. A shoe for a hammer and ridiculous wind, rudely slapped by the tent we were trying to make. Every tent site along the waterfront had a huge trailer set-up or caravan and annix, we parked our car on site just to make it look less bare. The silky orange sun slid below the horizon just as we finished.

We sat down on our camping chairs and got the food out of the esky. No bread board and no plates, we made our wraps on an esky lid and used our fry pan as a plate, scooping mayonnaise out with our fingers because we had no knives. 

Insides and instincts were screaming at me; outworking themselves in histeric laughter. We ate our wraps that fell apart after the first bite. The smell of barbeque wafting and carried along with the breeze…everyone else was inside their caravans and trailers away from the wind and cooking on their real stovetops.

Later on after a cold shower, we sat down in the tent on our half inflated mattress, we strung my phone up by a hair tie to the top of the tent for light, yep! We forgot a torch and lamp too! Laughter continued as we played a game of chinese chequers, each move bumped the board and we’d laugh and shake our heads at how ridiculously unprepared, unorganised and “not our plan” this was. 

Yet. Ahh that three letter word that changes everything. Yet we laughed till our tummies hurt and tears rolled down like a summer storm.

It got me thinking – if perfection is the goal, where does spontaneity lie? if perfect plans always worked, where does surprise live? If Joy is paramount; I call idealism a liar!

If perfection were the goal, id have collapsed in defeat. I collapsed yes, from laughter and tears of joy. Maybe instead of a perfect plan and all the gear, we just needed a packed car and a rough idea. 

Don’t get me wrong perfect plans and gear are great, vital in fact. If you want to build a house, or make a cake, or fly a plane… but does the bird read a map and set out a flight path? Am I a plane made of metal? Or am I of nature made for adventure? 

The next three days followed suit, off the main track adventures and hilarious unplanned “imperfect” perfection. I guess what i’m saying is plans have a time and a place for certain and for sure, but don’t get caught up in the details or things you think you need that you never get in the car and go!

Sometimes, let plans give way to being present. When perfection is draining and standards forever out of reach, pack your car with just enough to eat. Don’t think too long on where and how, just get in the car and start driving now!