We’ve all been here at some point in our lives when we want a laid-back, peaceful weekend or vacation, but the fast pace of everyday life creeps over the boundaries. Or maybe we want a night of wild and crazy fun, something so different from our routine that we don’t recognize ourselves.

The most disappointing thing for me is when I don’t get what I’m expecting when I want it. And, like most things in life, we don’t have the control we imagine.

I realize I need equal amounts of both in my life. I wish I could push a magic button or speak into a drive-through window and order up what I want when I want it.

No matter how much-advanced planning, I do there is no guarantee I’m going to get the zany when I want to cut loose or the Zen when I’m more in need of a mellow mood. On a recent family trip that was supposed to be all about sight-seeing, and partying and shopping, the weather decided not to cooperate and turned what was a trip a year in the making into a rather laid-back vacation. Rain forced us inside—who can party on the beach in a torrential downpour? We ended up adjusting on the fly and still managed to have a reasonably good time.

The other weekend I’d plan to spend both days on the sofa, reading a good book, catching up on my saved list of television shows and munching on some good snacks. I decided, working out may not happen if I didn’t feel inclined to expend any energy. Instead, I got a call that several friends were in the neighborhood and getting together for some memory rehashing, shopping and outright rowdiness was called for. I dashed my plans, opted for the new itinerary and was off to something altogether different and just as satisfying.

The moral to my story is, expect the unexpected. Too much planning only allows for more disappointment. Life is a grand adventure, learn to wing it.