The following is a transcript of an audio message sent to a friend of mine, Rita, with a few edits for readability and a conclusion added:
Robin and I just had this really fun time yesterday. When Robin was waking up, I said, why don’t we go for a drive today? We considered going to this bakery about a ninety minute drive from us and getting a pie.
This was just to give us a reason to drive. So we left our house and there was construction blocking access to the highway heading in the direction I wanted to go. So I said, you know what? We’re we’re being led away, so let’s not go there.
I’ll get on another highway entrance and we’ll just drive randomly. So we started going in a different direction. And I said, okay the intention I’m setting right now is let’s go somewhere we’ve never been and eat something we’ve never had before, and that’s it.
So I got on the highway and followed the road and I kinda just went with whatever was easiest and had the least lane changes. I found myself heading north. We were on that for a while. And then we approached a town named Bolton, that we had never been to.
So we’re like, okay. Well, let’s go to Bolton. And then as we entered Bolton, I was hungry. But because I’d set an intention to eat something new I had to ignore all of the franchises we were passing. Some of these places sound pretty good. Like, I’m hungry, but I’m not going to eat there. And we kept driving.
And then we saw an Italian cafe. Independent and perfect. And so we went in, and they had fresh sandwiches, the kind that are home made. So we bought some of these homemade sandwiches. They were delicious. Then we got back in the car and then drove for a bit and came across a much smaller town that had a very traditional main street. So we decided to park the car and just walk along the main street.
There’s this bridge with the water going underneath it, like a pedestrian bridge. We walked that, visited a little parkette, looked in all the shops. All the old buildings have signs with whoever the original tenant was. So, in 1922, this was where the doctor lived here and stuff like that. And they have these other buildings that once sold farmer’s feed and has been repurposed into a café.
We had this nice walk and then continued in the car. And at that point, I felt okay. Like, we’ve been somewhere new. I’ve eaten something new, so we could probably circle back home.
But then I decided to not get back on the highway and instead took surface roads. We then came across a cemetery. So we went into the cemetery to look at all these old grave markers that were from eighteen hundreds. After that we went through another little town, and saw a bakery. Robin hopped in, got two little eclairs. They’re delicious and fresh. They’re just made.
As delicious as the eclair was, what I loved most was that these eclairs were like a hundred separate decisions, little tiny things, that led us to this bakery in a town that I couldn’t even tell you what the name of was. I don’t remember. I couldn’t even tell you what the bakery was called. It was a complete random encounter with this little bakery.
So back to eating the eclair.
You’re feeling the whipped cream. It’s, like, squishing out of it. And I’m just thinking about the hundred moments that went into getting us this eclair. So as delicious as it was, I was more pleased with the chain of events that led to eating this eclair.
And then we just took surface streets back all the way back home, which took a while, but, again, a lot of its country driving and the journey was the destination, not to actually get anywhere.
And then we got home and it was just like this nice lovely outing, and it was positive for Robin and I. And, obviously, while we’re driving, we’re talking about stuff, always in conversation.
So then I was just pleased that my little strategy of these little micro missions. I have a version of creating a mini adventure with Robin, and it costs nothing and took very little effort.
And now I’m wondering how I can apply that to other things in my life where I’m kind of frustrated and stuck a little bit. Because I think it doesn’t have to be more than that.
Because, if I’m honest – when I look back at every meaningful breakthrough in my life, it never came from following the map. It came from a hundred tiny decisions that led somewhere unexpected.
And here’s my departing thought for the Frolic 100:
What would happen if, instead of trying to figure out where you’re headed, you simply set an intention, ignored the franchises, and followed the first interesting detour?
The éclair is waiting. But you’ll never taste it if you stick to the highway.
