Our marriage been as planned and deliberate as a tornado on a spring day. We have not been a model of forethought and premeditation. It’s lead to problems, but overall it’s been a great thing for us.
When thinking about examples of impulsiveness in the last 10 years Shannon and Tommy bubble to the top. Yes, there was a tiny bit of planning with Shannon, but none with Tommy. This example seems too easy, like saying the sun is yellow.
The better examples include biking, spring break and the minivan.
Missy and I really took to biking and would adventure out to different trails all the time. We’ve stopped doing it due to the demands of the kids, but really need to get back to it. The impulsiveness of trying out new trails leads to odd situations. One time I was riding on Katy Trail and decided to ride as far as I could. No planning, no checking, just riding. All went well until I came upon a sinkhole the size of a car. The river washed over the trail and collapsed the riding section.
Of course, I had to take Missy out to see it! Our next ride included this little excitement, but Missy wanted to take a detour into the woods. She finds a small trail and starts riding in the lead. No idea where it leads to or what the quality of the ride is going to be. I follow and soon the tree branches are whipping our faces, the trail curves round, gets smaller and just ends. Missy had stopped abruptly and without time to react I slam on my brakes, momentum carries me over the handlebars and I slam into the ground shoulder first.
Oh, how Missy laughed.
2 years ago we were in a rut. Things at work sucked, money was tight and there was just a general malaise about us. On a whim, we decided to hit the road for Spring Break with our 18 month old and 6 year old. The kids had never been to the ocean, so we thought, “why not.”
There was no real planning and just a get up and go sort of feel. We hit Jacksonville, Florida, Gatlinburg, Tennessee and Cincinnati, Ohio.
The kids had a blast on the beach!
And we even talked to turkeys.
Our impulsiveness also includes money. Spring break last year, it seems to be a recurring theme, saw us losing a minivan due to age. The cost of getting it fixed would be $6,000 or so, which was too much for a 2000 Toyota Sienna. Our idea was to get another vehicle and replace it; something for me to take to work.
Within the span of 5 hours we found an almost new 2013 Toyota Sienna minivan, test drove it, negotiated and walked out with it.
A year later we love the minivan and realize how impulsive we were with the purchase.
Still, our impulsiveness leads to more excitement and fun in our marriage than downsides. Missy is a wonderful partner when it comes to jumping in with both feet!