When No Plan is the Best Plan: How to Open to Joy
“Go have dinner with Gale, I’ll be fine, enjoy yourself,” I entreated my partner. We’d been together all day and a break sounded good. Half an hour later I began to feel sad .
The sadness wanted me to mope on the couch, and for awhile it won out. But then I decided action was needed, I would walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. I resolved to make this a special walk, remembering the wisdom of the Tao:
“A good traveller has no fixed plans,
and is not intent on arriving…”
-Tao te Ching, Stephen Mitchell’s translation, Verse 27
I share this quote with you because, on this particular walk, I let my internal planner take a nap, while I nourished the curious, spontaneous part of myself. This is a reminder that sometimes, having no plan is the best plan. It’s not about the destination, but the experience along the way—where joy often lives in the unexpected moments.
Maybe my experience will resonate with you, and perhaps you’ll try a walk with "no fixed plans" and see what surprises unfold, just as I did that day.
If you want to go deeper, read Thich Nhat Hanh’s writings on “Aimlessness.”
I walked with my eyes more open to surprise than normal.
And here’s the very first thing of beauty my eyes spied: A cathedral of flowering trees blessing a street. And an awareness that I never would have noticed them in my ordinary I’ve-got-to-get-there-now walks.
A few blocks later I came across photos of Brooklyn neighborhoods, calling to me to enter a museum. No, I thought. I should bring my partner there tomorrow. Today’s trip was giving me inspiration and ideas.
Was it just because I was on an interesting street, or was it perhaps that my sense of presence was allowing me to discover wonder that’s been there all the time??
This is one of those questions that can re-shape a life. Please consider it :) For me, the lesson is that beauty and joy are often available if only I can wake up and be aware of the present moment.
From the museum I could see my local branch library. They have a great collection of graphic novels, I remembered gleefully. In I went, found a selection of 3 spiritually oriented books, and excitedly checked them out.
Now almost at the Brooklyn Bridge, I decided I needed a bagel or something for a snack to fuel the walk of several miles. I took a brief detour to a street with shops and food, and saw an interesting restaurant. (More on that in my next post, on Savoring.)
I’ll end the story here. Might you be wondering what would happen if you walked with “no fixed plan?”
Don’t have time for this?
Maybe you feel you don’t have the time? Life is just too busy?
You might re-consider your priorities. We usually do the urgent things in our lives. And the totally fun things. But what about the things that are IMPORTANT but not URGENT?? Mindfulness and other things are like this, things that nurture the soul fall into this category. How about setting aside time for 2 “important but not urgent” activities each week?
Here they are:
a mindfulness practice, and
a Koan you can try
Mindfulness meditation Practice
Carve out some time for a walk, and make a loose plan for it.
When the time comes, sit silently for a few minutes before you start, intending to become present to your 5 senses.
Begin your stroll, let yourself be flexible, spontaneous, responsive to things you notice along the way. No need to look for particular things, but rather just be open to what appears :)
Koan
What needs no planning? Please post your thoughts in our Comments, below. I will try to respond to all of them. Note: Koans are short statements designed to help us see more deeply into everyday life. Remember: it can take awhile for insight to develop. May your efforts be rewarded!
