Currently, I find myself sitting in a beach chair listening to the sound of the waves crash against the snowy, white sands of Miramar Beach. A few weeks ago, when we were invited on a spontaneous trip to visit family, my husband and I immediately hesitated. We thought about our jobs, about school, and about our lives at home. How can we put all of that on hold? We decided that a spontaneous trip, especially as we are about to travel to Ireland in a few weeks, was just out of the question. But then we thought: Why not? We had the vacation time for work and we have every ability to do schoolwork while by the pool or at nighttime. Plus, it wouldn’t be cold, rainy Connecticut!

We thought about the goal that we made for 2018—to be more spontaneous, to take risks, and enjoy life. Spending time with family we don’t see very often, and an incredible milestone (Ian’s great uncle turning 90), is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. So, we bought our plane tickets, woke up at 3 a.m. Thursday morning, and were welcomed to 70-degree weather and an extra hour in our day to soak up the vitamin D! Immediately, our stresses were gone, our spirits were lifted, and we are both feeling super relaxed.

When we got to the house (which overlooks the Gulf), my father-in-law prompted us to get on our bathing suits and jump into the ocean. Again, I found myself hesitating: The water is cold, and I’ve been traveling all day. Plus, the water is cold!! But, again, I stopped myself: Be spontaneous; you won’t regret it. A few minutes later, I found myself in my bathing suit running across the soft sand and submerging myself (I tripped in the ocean) in the cold, icy water. I took the plunge, and gosh, it felt good!

I stumbled across an incredible quote today that I thought I’d share that really speaks to our spontaneous trip: “If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try.”