"Life is what happens when you are making other plans"

The title of this post is the quote that's consistently seen in the subtitle of my blog. I have wondered since I created my blog when and where would be the best place to explain the significance behind this quote. I feel that, as I reminisce and evaluate my experience in the prep course over this Spring term, now would be a fine time to explain why I have had that quote there since the birth of this blog.

Let me give you some context. This quote was originally shared with my mother by her mother, and she in turn shared this quote with me during one of our sensitive conversations about my future plans and the accompanying anxiety following the school year's end. She shared with me what the personal significance of this quote was to her in helping her keep perspective and simmer down the drama of life. I resonate with her interpretation of this quote but would like to expound my own theory. Here is what this quote says to me:

I can plan and plan all I want, I can pursue dreams for my future and plan exciting adventures, but while this habit of manipulating my life is happening, the natural process of living and breathing always occur. Living life to its fullest doesn't mean taking every extraordinary opportunity offered, or beefing up every event to milk it into a creamy or precious keepsake experience. Living life to its fullest is recognizing the moments in between the privileged opportunities or special events that occur in one's life. To live fully is to recognize what a gift each breath truly is. To live fully is to acknowledge that your living, your actions and thoughts, during the preparatory or transitional stages of life are as vital and important as the climaxes and prominent moments.

So what does this have to do with my African Field Studies Preparation Class? Everything! This class has been full of to-do lists, planning activities, and discussions centered on "what if's" that could occur in the future. The work involved here can be frustrating and can leave one to feel as though they are waiting, waiting for the excitement to happen, for the plans to occur and the adventure to happen. But the truth is life is happening RIGHT NOW! Life right now is the preparation as well as the adventure.

It was this quote that helped me realize that and is what I believe made the class so completely enjoyable. I gobbled up the opportunity to use inquiry, I took pleasure in the creative process, and enjoyed the exploration of so many options. Certainly I am excited to go to Africa, I can't wait, but I am just as excited about the new skills and experiences I had in this class. If it wasn't for the wisdom of the women in my family tree that has been passed down to me, I don't know if I would feel as full and excited about this class or the next 6 Months as I do now. Even this moment, spinning ideas in my head, thrills me and I am grateful for it.