Driftless—having no aim or direction.
This past weekend I found myself in a state of driftlessness. My plans changed dramatically due to Mother Nature and I found myself without a schedule and itinerary. It was odd. A bit disconcerting.
Saturday I awoke at the usual normal hour of 6 am and could not fall back asleep. The mind was working overtime mulling over the events of the past day.
I like a plan. Chris and I are definitely planners. Our lives have always needed to be scheduled and planned out. When the boys were younger we planned things around their schedules. As work obligations increased we planned things around work commitments for both of us. We share Google calendars. We try to know what is going on with everyone in the family and keep our calendars updated.
These days with our lives being lived “geographically separated” we have a lot of scheduling to do. Trips back and forth to see each other have to be planned out and scheduled ahead of time. It is just part of our lifestyle.
That is why it was so unsettling this past weekend to not have a plan. I found myself driftless. I could not settle down. There was no shortage of things to do but yet—it was impossible to settle on one thing and just do it.
I caught up on some television. I read. I napped. I walked around the house and yard trying to figure out what to do.
I finally decided that one or two days of being driftless was okay. Maybe the soul and body require that now and then. Maybe it is truly okay to not have life so scheduled out that it does not allow time to just “be”.
Oh yes—being driftless can mean a lot of different things to different people. Drifting around from thing to thing, place to place, thought to thought may not be a bad thing every once in awhile. A plan is good but sometimes plans change. When they do —adapt and adjust and maybe enjoy being driftless for just a little bit. It might do your soul some good.
23 Comments
Leave a commentI know EXACTLY what you mean! Years ago, probably when I was a teenager, I heard an aunt (who was long retired) tell my mom that she felt much better in the morning when she had a plan for her day. And I find myself feeling the same way now. Sometimes I think NOT having anything to do is almost as bad as having TOO much!
YES!!! Exactly!!! It was just weird and took me a long time to get my act together!
i enjoyed a much needed “driftless” weekend. It was exactly what I needed.
Yay! Glad you had a driftless weekend and enjoyed it. Sometimes it is exactly what is needed. I should have leaned into it on Saturday—by Sunday I had a plan. 🙂
I find I am spending a lot of time on the back porch looking for hummies, wrens, sparrows. I notice if the cows come up earlier than usual. I check out what the clouds are doing all around our wide open space. But it’s good time since my mind has been in full gear for so many years.
Your title reminded me of a story written by a Uruguayan short story writer, Horacio Quiroga. The story is “A la deriva” – Driftless – and the plot is much more dramatic than my days on the porch or what you have described.
I will have to look that story up! It sounds like a good one. And I love your “routine” and don’t think it is a bad thing at all. I love watching the hummers and the birds and the bunnies and the pheasant……no cows in my yard at the moment. 🙂
Correction. Early in the morning Quiroga’s story jumped into my mind and I thought “driftless” same as your title. No, the translation is “Adrift.” Why would a South American story jump into my mind? I teach and have taught Spanish and Latin American literature for many years. I found the translation at a wordpress site http://quirogatranslated.wordpress.com/2014/02/21/adrift/
After all Beth Ann, our each and every day, driven or driftless, is all part of God’s plan. I just pray that He doesn’t have a driftless day!
You are totally right—–all part of the plan and I am glad that I am a part of it!
Amen..
My sister-in-law always says -make plans and watch god laugh. And, of-course, John Steinbeck wrote the best laid plans of mice and men often take another direction. Of-course, he said it more eloquently.
But Mousie, thou art no thy lane,
In proving foresight may be vain:
The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men
Gang aft agley,
An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain,
For promis’d joy!
I don’t mind a day a drift but it’s hard when you’re disappointed and left to fill the void. I think you had the right idea–take time to regroup, feel the disappointment and then wake up to a new week, smell the roses :-D, and carry on!
For planners, it can be stressful not to have a plan. Happy you could spend a peaceful weekend at home, although the trip did not work out as hoped. I loved that photo you posted of the two kitties this morning:)
Maybe now you should schedule a day here or there to do just that…. drift ~ It’s always a replenishing time for my soul, when I allow myself to just drift through the day.
I think you are right. It felt a bit odd but I ended up going with it. I think it was just because my plans got abruptly changed and I was so disappointed. But yes—it is good for the soul to recharge, isn’t it? Thanks, Carol.
I like a balance b/n planned and driftless. Both are needed.
Glad that you got some rest. 🙂
Yep, isn’t it odd how we make plans, then watch as something comes up to blow a hole in them?! Sounds like you got some needed rest, though I’m sure you’d have preferred it if your plans hadn’t fallen through!
I so hear you! I actually panic at the thought of nothing to do. When a plan changes so unexpectedly, I am definitely adrift. I seldom have time to read though so often I’ll take that opportunity if there is an unplanned moment. I agree, we should be able to enjoy being driftless. I’m working on it.
I’ve definitely been driftless for quite some time now — and you’re right, after 7 years of having kids at home, I think my body, mind and soul needed it. I have been writing, but I haven’t been of the mindset to share much that writing – I’ve questioned it, tweaked it, and then tucked it away again and continued on with my blog being light and fun. But now, I think it’s time to come ashore! Let a new adventure begin and see what happens.
Yay! Cant’ wait to see what is next for you.
I was over-scheduled for so long, I’m enjoying a bit of drift.
If you don’t have some days without a plan, how can you stop & smell the roses? Or do you schedule that too? 🙂
I don’t always have a plan for every minute!