Now I am not saying you have to go full Jim Carrey in the “Yes Man” movie, but saying yes every once in a while is a great thing! As many of you probably know, I am not a spontaneous person. I normally have to plan out everything to the tiny little details (I get it from my mom: Thanks Tina). Before coming to Ireland, I told myself that I would try new things and I would be as adventurous as I could be. So far, I have booked plane tickets on a whim, tagged along to Dublin without a second thought, and hopped on tours without overthinking. Some of these decisions worked out better than others and some could have used a little more time and consideration, but I am proud of my new-found spontaneity! One weekend, a friend of mine got injured and had to go to the hospital while a bunch of us were on a tour (on the opposite side of the country!). So two other friends and I just hopped off the bus and headed to the hospital without a plan of what to do or where to stay. We ended up finding a hostel and a way back home the next day and everything worked out for the best! In fact, that weekend is probably one of my favorites so far!

There are perfect times in life to plan out every detail, but there are also perfect times to just wing it. Don’t ever get stuck in a routine without a little bit of excitement! It will definitely be more of a challenge to continue this impulsiveness when I return home, but I am surely going to try my best. Here are some ideas to help spur spontaneous adventures back in North Manchester:

• Hop on the train and head to Chicago for the day
• Drive to a new town and just see what is there
• Try a new restaurant
• Go for a drive and see where you end up
• Have a friend plan a secret day out and about and go along with it, no questions asked!