Ferris Bueller says: “Life moves pretty fast. You don’t look around every once and a while, you could miss it.”
Even if Ferris is right (which he is) not everyone knows how. Few people know how to do something as simple as taking the day off.
There is imagery in literature of people at work metaphorically walking on treadmills. I don’t recall references to the same representation of people in their personal lives. But my gut tells me it happens. A lot.
I like routines – especially when they save time or memory. I keep my keys, wallet and phone in exactly the same spot in my house. Except when I break this routine, I know exactly where to find them.
The point of Bueller’s comment is living every once and a while so that you don’t know exactly where to find things.
There are certain contradictions to cope with. You can’t plan to be spontaneous.
Perhaps spontaneity is like driving without a map. I used a tracking device on my travels. It didn’t tell me where to go. It told me where I’d been. It recorded memories I hadn’t planned for.
Bueller’s advice has universal applicability. Cook using new ingredients. Shop at a new store. Say hello to strangers. Do things you wouldn’t tell your mother about. Or your children.
I’m not sure what it takes to live this way. Courage? Curiosity? Maybe it’s just the unwillingness to end up in life wondering: “What if?”
I know people who follow rules. Some are in my family. I wonder if these people feel secure in the certainty of their lives.
Life moves pretty fast. It goes by in the blink of an eye.