Let Go of Your Need to Plan Every Detail & Leave Space for the Divine

I’m often a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants type of gal.

In college, when asked my plan for the future: Eh, I’ll figure it out! Something will work out. Landed a corporate retail job in California. When Matt and I were deciding if we wanted to continue living by the beach or move to the canyon. Let’s just see what comes up to rent on Trulia and go with our gut! Rented our dream home in the canyon; now in the process of purchasing this home.

I have so many examples like this. It’s kind of been the mantra of my life; put in the work, go with the flow, trust that it’ll all work out. I’ve had a 100% success rate. I know this may be hard to believe for people who love to plan every detail, but for me, this works. I find it important to leave space for the divine to step in. Plus, I feel suffocated when everything is perfectly planned out.

After reading Deepak Chopra’s, Seven Spiritual Laws of Success last year, I understand now that this way of experiencing life is congruent with his fourth law– The Law of Least Effort. This law states:

Nature’s intelligence functions with effortless ease… with carefreeness, harmony, and love. And when we harness the forces of harmony, joy, and love, we create success and good fortune with effortless ease.

Deepak Chopra, The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success (California, Amber-Allen and New World), 51.

The Most Heavenly Brewery Found Off the Beaten Path

In September 2017, Matt and I took a road trip up the West Coast together. We went up through California to Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Utah, Arizona, and Nevada. Taking a trip like this definitely required some planning; we needed to know the route we’d take, where we wanted to stop, and how long we’d stay in each area. Once we had these details, though, we left it pretty open ended.

Aside from Portland, where we booked our hotel and dinner reservation ahead of time; everything else was left up to chance. No hotels booked. We wanted to play it by ear and decide when we were tired and needed to rest. Not being tied to, “we need to be at the Best Western in Bend on Saturday night”, was so freeing. Because what if we found another cool town that we wanted to stay in instead?! We had seven full days to just go with the flow. We didn’t feel trapped to some tight schedule. Of course, we needed to keep a certain rate of pace to get everywhere we wanted in a week, but it was on our own terms.

I don’t know about you, but when I go on vacation, I like to feel relaxed and free. Our openness to “whatever happens, happens” allowed for divinity to step in.

Day three of the road trip, we were driving from Oregon to Idaho. Our goal was to reach Idaho that night. During this time, the fires in Oregon had been bad so there was a ton of smoke in the air. Because of this, the highway we planned to take was closed. Our only other option was to take the Lewis and Clark highway up through Washington. This was the happiest detour we could’ve taken because the views along this highway were gorgeous. It took us a couple of hours longer, but we were looking out our windows in awe the whole time, taking photos of the views every few minutes.

A few hours later, we dropped back down into Oregon as we got closer to Idaho. It’d been a long day of driving and Matt wanted to stop for a beer. No problem. There are so many good breweries in Oregon. There was the well-known Deschuttes brewery that we could’ve easily stopped at but Matt wanted to try somewhere different. He set his sights on one called Ordnance Brewery. It was in a small town called Boardman, about five minutes from us.

As we pulled up to Ordnance, we looked at each other in excitement and disbelief. It was off a dirt road, right in front of an old railroad track with breathtaking fields surrounding it. We’d never seen a brewery like this! We learned that the family who owns this brewery actually grows their own hops for the beer. And they’ve been doing it for almost two hundred years. How amazing is that? They have an award winning beer called “Bloops” which has fresh blueberries brewed in it. And you guessed it, they grow the blueberries themselves, too.

We were in awe of our luck. We’d just stumbled upon this little gem. The sun was getting lower in the sky and casting beautiful shadows on the field. It was one of those moments that you know you’re exactly where you’re meant to be. As we sipped our beers and enjoyed the view, we met another couple who were locals in the area. They proudly told us all about their small town. They reminded me of people from my own hometown and it filled me with warmth. Up until that moment, I couldn’t fathom how people could stay in their small hometown. This reminded me why people do; pride, love, familiarity. I gained a new appreciation for small town living and the special people in them.

Of all the amazing things we saw on our road trip, this small moment remains one of the highlights. It wasn’t something big and shiny; it was genuine and meaningful. We still talk about that day and how much we wish we could just drink a Bloops!

The Most Magical Yoga Hike

Matt and I live in a small community called Modjeska Canyon. If we walk five minutes down our road, we’re in “downtown Modjeska” which is really kind of a joke because all it consists of is a community center, a fire station, and a park. It’s adorable.

About 5 pm last Saturday, Matt asked if I wanted to go for a quick walk. I didn’t really feel like it. It was a little chilly and gray. I was in the middle of redecorating our fireplace mantle. But, I knew I’d never regret going for a walk, so I agreed. As we walked “downtown”, toward the community center, I stopped to check the community board for any upcoming events. To my surprise, there was a flyer for a “yoga hike” happening THE NEXT DAY. Literally in our own backyard! The flyer exclaimed: yoga, hiking, meditation, sound bath! Excuse me. I looked at Matt with wide eyes. Do you know me? SIGN ME UP.

And so, I went. The following day, with a group of strangers and four yoga teachers, we hiked a short trail to a flat area where we set up for two hours of yoga and meditation. Since this was taking place in Modjeska Canyon, I felt like I was getting the opportunity to connect deeply with my home. To connect my love of this area with my love of yoga. Modjeska has the most beautiful mountains and valleys. As I flowed through the yoga practice, I looked at my surroundings in awe and gratitude. I can’t believe I get to do this!

The final meditation was pure bliss. One teacher was playing sound bowls, another was walking around us with burning sage. Very California, hippy dippy, I know. I was lost in the sound; the smells; the sensations. I felt like I could’ve sunk into the ground. It’s rare I let go that much. This may sound wild if you’re not a meditator, but try doing this in nature, somewhere you love. I felt connected at a deep level.

I walked home that day feeling incredibly peaceful. I’d been feeling overwhelmed lately and finally, I felt grounded. I was so grateful I’d stumbled upon that flyer. And to think, I easily could’ve missed it! I could’ve said “no” to Matt’s invitation to go for a walk. I could’ve walked past that community board. I could’ve seen it a week too late. Divine intervention, I’m telling you. I was meant to see that flyer at the exact moment I did.

It was what my soul needed. I truly believe when you’re open, what you need will come to you effortlessly.

The small town brewery and the yoga hike are small moments in the grand scheme of life. But they stand out. These are two experiences that I’ll remember for a long time because they were so moving and special. The way they happened felt so random; so meant to be. I love not planning everything out to a tee because it helps leave room for the magical moments. The moments that easily could’ve passed me by if I had been tied to a strict schedule. If I hadn’t been open.

Are you more go with the flow? Or a planner?

With love,

Alissa