Making Plans

I have this friend. Let's call her Sam. We like a lot of the same things. TV shows, music, reading the horoscopes in the Metro (and choosing to believe or disregard them depending on how we feel about them that day). But there is one thing we definitely do not agree on and that is making plans.

I like to make plans. Sam doesn't. She says they never work out. You set yourself up for failure by making a plan because the likelihood is it won't work out the way you thought it would. You're better off being spontaneous and just taking things as they come. 

You can't deny she has a point. Some of the most fun things are those that just happen. When you just decide to call someone up and do something. And she certainly has a point when it comes to work. How many times have I rounded off my day by planning what needs to happen tomorrow only to have it torn to pieces by unforeseen circumstances?

Nevertheless though. I love a good plan. And I need plans. My main friendship group consists of 4 women. Three 9-5 office workers and one shift pattern customer service guru in a retail establishment. Three of us live at home. One of us has recently bought a house with her boyfriend. Two of us like to go Out Out. Two of us like to Stay In. One of us likes going to the gym after work. One of us runs up and down the stairs enough during the working day that she counts that as the same thing. You can see how it might be tricky for us to get together when we're all doing different things.

Thanks to Easter, there is a four day weekend coming up. Excellent, two of us thought! A chance to go away for the day. We'll pack a picnic and head to the coast. Surely there will be one day out of the four we can all do. 

The answer? No. 

It just so happens that one person is already fully booked up and the other has two family members birthdays to attend. Without booking well in advance, we never all see each other at the same time.

I am also a fan of the far in advance plan. I like to have something in the distant horizon to look forward to. Something that I can have a proper countdown to on my phone. Last year it was a trip to the Harry Potter Studio Tour. I like the sense of excitement I get once something is booked. The sense of anticipation as the event draws nearer. Regressing the to mindset of a five year old when there is only 1 more sleep to go.

Admittedly, plans can have their downside. If they get cancelled you are left feeling disappointed or annoyed. And depending on the situation, waiting for a planned event can be more nerve-wracking than fun. The anticipation is more like butterflies. Butterflies that are angry and wake you up in the middle of the night to tell you that you are stupid and that this was a mistake.

But I will take the risk and continue making plans because I need to have something to look forward to. Something in the diary that can cheer me up during a long day at the office. Sam might say I'm being silly but she let slip today she is planning her first trip abroad with her sister. So who is being silly now?

Pip pip, Charlotte x